Parental opposition spawns secret marriages

Riyadh: Many young Saudi women are finding themselves in a knot after secretly marrying.

"Secret marriages" as they are known are held without the knowledge of the families of both the man and woman and the couple would be issued with a fake marriage contract - usually by corrupt officials after taking bribes.

Such marriages are illegal according to Sharia principles. Experts say such marriages are becoming popular because of repeated refusals by the fathers or other family members.

Secret marriage contracts in Saudi Arabia is estimated to account for 9 per cent of all marriages, Dr Hassan Bin Mohammad Safar, Professor of Judicial Systems and Procedures before the Sharia Courts at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, told Gulf News.

"The phenomenon is found to be popular among students and business community," Dr Safar said. He cited several cases where university students had secretly married and where young men had secretly married businesswoman to benefit from their wealth.

He added that 3 per cent of women who married secretly want to sue their husbands at courts after they refused to admit the marriage as legal. "But some women are hesitant to take this step due to fear of their family and scandal," he added.

Dr Safar said many officials who are authorised by the Ministry of Justice to finalise marriage contracts are violating their professional code of conduct.

He said many officials exploit the licence given to them by concluding marriage contracts that are not based on Islamic principles. He said the officials are merely looking for money regardless of whether the practise is legal or not. According to Islamic Sharia, a marriage contract is valid only if it is made in the presence of a guardian and witnesses. The wedding must also be made public.

Many women in Jeddah disclosed that they obtained marriage contracts without the knowledge of their families after paying 2,000 to 4,000 riyals.

"The marriages of two women were announced after they could no longer hide their pregnancies. In many other cases women have resorted to abortions to avoid their secrets being revealed," Dr Safar said.

He felt that women are resorting to "secret marriages" to escape from flogging or torture by their family members, or expulsion from their family homes. Fathers repeatedly refusing proposals to their daughters is cited as one of the key reasons. "Love and desire of the girls to marry the men they want after their father refused to do so is a main reason," he added.

A Saudi woman, who identified herself by her first name Lulu, said she married secretly but filed a suit at court after her husband Khalid wanted to keep it a secret. The marriage contract was concluded after paying 2,000 riyals as bribe.

"My plan behind resorting to this kind of marriage was to get rid of the many problems I have been having. I had confidence in my husband, but when I asked him to announce our marriage he refused and insisted that the marriage should remain secret," she said.

Encouraged

She admitted that her friend and sister encouraged her to marry secretly in order to get out of her family's house and get rid of her father's legal guardianship after he refused 20 men who asked her hand in marriage.

Lulu expressed her regret for signing a document whose contents she was unaware of. "My husband has promised that the marriage will be made public later. I did not get a dowry," she said. "After three months of refusal to announce our marriage, my husband suddenly left me and called one of my friends to tell her that I was no longer his wife and that our wedding was not valid. Moreover, he began to threaten me not to tell any member of my family about this marriage," she said.

Another young Saudi who identified herself by her initials, M.A., said she married secretly without the consent and knowledge of her family but after she got pregnant her father announced her marriage to avoid any kind of scandal.

Dr Safar reiterated that this kind of marriage is invalid, adding that if a woman's father or legal guardian refuses to allow her marriage, the woman can approach the judge to arrange for her wedding. He underlined the importance of making marriages public and have the marriage contract fulfil all conditions stipulated by Sharia.

Speaking further about the reasons of "secret marriage", Dr Safar said that lack of responsibility, lack of knowledge of Islamic principles and family disintegration are other causes for the spread of this kind of marriage.

Corrupt officials

"Secret marriages" are normally held without the knowledge of the families of both the man and woman.

Several corrupt officials who have been authorised by the Ministry of Justice to finalise marriage contracts issue one after accepting bribes.