Manama: Kuwaitis have heaped praise on a Yemeni woman who displayed a rare sense of devotion by waiting 20 years for the man she loved to leave prison and marry him.
Sources close to the bride told Kuwaiti daily Al Rai that she had never given up hope she would be reunited with the man she loved and who proposed in 1993, but was soon afterwards sent to jail “on trumped-up charges”.
“She was confident that he was an innocent man and that the charges that he had killed another man were fabricated,” the sources said. “Despite pleas by some of her friends and relatives to forget about the man and agree to marry someone else, she said that she would wait for her fiancé to be acquitted and allowed to go home,” they said.
The bride reportedly dismissed concerns she would never be able to marry her fiancé who would be killed either through execution as ordered by a court or by the victim’s relatives determined to take their own revenge.
“She did not listen to any of the concerns and insisted on waiting for him until, one day, he did knock on their door after he was found innocent and acquitted by the court,” relatives said.
According to the Kuwaiti daily, the former prisoner said that he was “extremely elated with the remarkable developments in his life”.
“I have been acquitted by the court after I lost 20 years in prison because of the bogus charges and I am marrying the woman I love and who waited for me during all these painful years. She is an outstanding and rare example of loyalty and sacrifice,” he said.
Miles away, Kuwaitis echoed his tribute to his wife’s dedication and devotion despite formidable challenges.
“This is the highest level of loyalty I have seen in a long time,” Suhail said. “I am not surprised by the loyalty of this woman who seems to be a peaceful person. I was very pleased to read about this great love story and I am happy that loyalty and justice continue to exist.”
Ramy said that “it is very rare to hear about loyalty these days”.
“There is nothing sweeter than loyalty and devotion,” he posted.
