The Saudi Shoura Council voted down a proposal to simplify regulations concerning the marriage of Saudis to non-Saudis, reports Arab News. The reasonings seems to be that if it becomes too easy for Saudi men to marry foreigners, Saudi women will be left unmarried. No mention of the effect on Saudi women who might wish to marry foreigners…

Some positive steps to protect the foreign families of Saudis abroad seem to have come from the Council’s session, though, as the story points out.

Shoura rejects proposal to ease Saudi marriages to foreigners

RIYADH: The Shoura Council yesterday rejected a recommendation to simplify regulations governing Saudis marrying non-Saudis. However, a council session, chaired by its new Vice President Bandar Al-Hajjar, approved other recommendations submitted by Talal Al-Bakri, chairman of the council’s Committee for Social, Family and Youth Affairs.

Hajjar rejected the proposal as the council’s 108 members were equally split over a need to simplify the regulations.

… Other recommendations endorsed by the council included social insurance coverage for children of Saudi men living abroad, and the need for Saudi fathers to arrange citizenship for children born to foreign wives and for Saudis who are not in a position to support their children to approach charities that take care of Saudi families abroad.