Saudi Arabia: Selling Daughters for Quick Cash

Arab News reports that foreign residents in are contracting temporary marriages for their daughters with Saudis:

Kamal Muhammad, an IT teacher at a boys’ school in Madinah, said such marriages cost no more than SR10,000. “I learned about them from a friend who arranged an appointment for me with an expatriate man who was looking for a husband for his daughter,” he said.

“The father showed me three of his daughters and asked me to choose one. He made a condition that the dowry should be no less than SR7,000 and that I should stay with her at the same house,” he said.

He added that after agreeing to the condition he made his choice. “The father brought a sheikh who was of his own nationality to write the contract. I paid them SR5,000 and promised to give the remainder of the money later. We then underwent a wedding party that was attended by the bride’s mother and other close relatives. I never expected things to move so fast and to be married within a few minutes for such a small amount of money,” he said.

Kamal said his father-in-law also asked him to pay SR600 each month for his wife’s upkeep. “Of course I readily agreed. Where can you find such a young and beautiful wife?” he said.

Note: Convert Saudi Riyals to US Dollars by dividing by 3.75. The bride price he paid was 5,000 Saudi Riyals, about $1,132 US Dollars. He then paid 600 Saudi Riyals, about $160 US Dollars, for upkeep.

He, however, divorced his wife after five months after he came to know such marriages were common trade among some foreigners. “She won’t lose any time and will remarry the next day,” he added.

Saudi businessman Ghazi said he has unofficially married and divorced a number of expatriate women. “My Saudi wife is the principal of a school; her work is her priority. I do not want to have a normal second marriage and all the responsibilities that come with it such as setting up another home and having children,” he said. “I want a woman who spoils me and makes me happy. So I’ve married five foreign ladies in this unofficial way. These marriages are cheap and nor do I need to rent a home. I just live with them at their own homes,” he said.

Ghazi said his five wives were of different nationalities. He added that the “best” was an African woman from Chad.

Khaled, a secondary school teacher, also agrees. “The common law marriage provides us with the opportunity to change. We can tie the knot with all kinds of women, old or young, white or black, without our Saudi wives and relatives finding out,” he said.

“The foreign wives will prefer to keep silent for fear of deportation because most of them are illegally staying in the Kingdom,” he said.

So an expatriate man in Saudi Arabia with daughters may pick up some extra cash by selling his daughters' sexual favors and still be behaving according to Islamic law. And so a Saudi man may acquire a temporary sexual partner, cast her aside when he is finished and still be behaving according to Islamic law. Remember, a man may divorce his wife in Islam by saying "I divorce you," three times. Actually, he needn't say it. He can use Facebook or text messaging.

Hat Tips: Religion of Peace and Islam in Action