Fatima Ruling Condemned by Ex-Minister
Maha Akeel, Arab NewsJEDDAH, 21 February 2007 — The ruling that upheld a judge’s decision to divorce a couple in absentia at the request of the wife’s half-brothers has been condemned by a former deputy minister of justice.
In an interview with Arab News, Fadl Mehdar Aqeel said that the case pits Shariah law against tribal traditions and prejudices. He said Saudi courts should be deferring to Islamic principles when it comes to such conflicts rather than siding with tribal traditions that transcend Muslim identity.
“This ruling in Fatima’s case is a big mistake,†he said, referring to the 34-year-old woman who has languished in a prison in Dammam since last summer because she refuses to return to the custody of the family members who intervened on her three-year marriage to Mansour Al-Timani, 37. “This is a racist and ignorant decision.â€
The excerpt above gives a pretty good reading of the outrage most Saudis are expressing about the forced divorce of ‘Fatima’. But that’s not the only voice. As the excerpt below shows, there is a different side to the story. It’s not nearly as compelling, but sitting several thousand miles away, it’s not possible to utterly dismiss it, either.
Fatima’s Mother Speaks Out, Says Husband Hid Crucial Details
DAMMAM, 21 February 2007 — As the controversy over the Fatima divorce ruling continues, the mother of the woman who resides in a Dammam prison, refusing to return to the custody of the family members that forced her to divorce her husband based on tribal incompatibility, spoke to Al-Watan newspaper to give her side of the story.
“Would any of you (people) allow their daughters to stay with such a man?†asked Fatima’s mother. “Mansour (Al-Timani) made use of the tribal issue and he hid his injustices to his other wives.â€
She claims that Mansour, the husband, is hiding behind the tribal issue and not disclosing full details of his background. The mother claims that Al-Timani had five children from another marriage and a second wife that he left and did not disclose this information when he approached Fatima’s father (now deceased) for her hand in marriage. The mother also claims that Al-Timani has been unemployed and is an insufficient provider for his wives.
According to the mother, whose name was not revealed in the paper, Al-Timani has concealed details of his personal life from the media just as he hid details from the family when he was courting Fatima and seeking the blessings of her father. The mother claims that her daughter was forced to asking people for zakat money, the charity payments that all Muslims must pay to the needy as one of the pillars of the religion….
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January:21:2008 - 21:26
saudia arabia is such a fraudulent corrupt society. it can’t last much longer
January:22:2008 - 02:07
I agree with the mother in that it Mansour does appear as a weak man, but what to expect when someone and much of society believes you are an inferior creation…even a judge of God would rule on the unworthiness of his existence and rights.
However, if her daughter, Fatima,was so much suffering why wouldn’t she run in the arms of the relatives who are supposedly rescuing her from a life of poverty and begging? Last time I checked being poor isn’t a crime. The mother is stupid, “WHY is she worried about how he treated his OTHER wives?†We are talking about her daughter. WHY, WHAT? NO…
I think the mother is terrified like Fatima and has been coerced with her statements in defending her family’s sinful, shameful and prejudiced behavior. Two thumbs down mommy…you just made it worse and if other Saudis read it they are going to see right through it to the blatantly blazing truth,
“YOU and your family are the oppressors!” Hasbeeallahwawhonanamamahwakeel
January:22:2008 - 02:24
The mother has no business commenting on her daughter’s life when her daughter herself has repeatedly established that she is happy in her marriage. I am curious: is the troublesome half-brother this woman’s son? Also, why should the husband be forced to attend the circus that seemed to have been enacted in the courts. Was the couple even called to the court? Weren’t the proceedings initiated by the brother without the knowledge of the couple? I don’t Mansour as weak. I see him the victim of a bunch of scheming, unethical in-laws.
January:22:2008 - 05:07
I believe that while it is possible for someone to fall into the role of playing victim…
HOWEVER I also believe
People have a choice whether or not they are going to be perpetual victims
The Qatif girl case is one case example…She started out a victim and then chose a different role for herself…
By the way, good point regarding this mother’s relation to the half-brothers!
January:22:2008 - 10:15
When you see things like this it is AMAZING just how unIslamic the society in Saudi really is! There is nothing in Islam that would allow for a family member to annul a marriage against the wishes of the two people involved, especially over an issue of class/tribal caste.
January:22:2008 - 17:42
AbuSinan,
I am not sure if Islam allows annulment to start with. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me can provide us with input on that. Is annulment allowed? and under what conditions?