Riyadh (AsiaNews) - Condemnation of "tourist marriages" is growing among Saudi Islamic experts, lawyers and doctors, a practice in vogue among Saudi men who, during their foreign trips, undertake "short-term" marriages to women of the country where they are.
The influential Arab News points out that the " tourist marriages" has been added to the long list of restrictions the Saudi Interior Ministry imposes on different types of marriage to foreign women. In fact, Saudi ‘travellers’ often marry foreign women for weeks, sometimes even hours, during their stay in a foreign country. Officials involved in the celebration of the wedding always demand the presence of two witnesses, but often are unaware of the fixed time periods that the “couples” fix between them. A clause that would, according to the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence, render the marriage illegal.
The lawyer Rayan Mufti defines tourist marriages "legalized prostitution". "These marriages are popular among men who want to commit adultery with licenses. All of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, the Hanafi, the Maliki, the Hanbali and the Shafie, agree that marriages such as these are illegal".
The Islamic researcher Abdullah al-Jifin states that marriages that have a fixed time are not healthy or legal, under Shariah law. "So-called tourist marriages, which are designed to end after a certain period of time are totally haram (forbidden by Islamic law). "A man - he adds - who travels abroad during the weekend, gets married on Wednesday afternoon and divorced on Friday before getting on the plane back home commits a sin. How can a true marriage last 72 hours? ".
The Saudi ambassador to Yemen Ali Al-Hamdan, defines marriage tourism "legalized fornication" and condemns some permissive fatwa issued by some scholars. "Some young Yemeni - he says - find themselves in these unlawful situations because of their extreme poverty. Then they come to the embassy to ask for help finding their Saudi husband". The Saudi ambassador to Indonesia, Abdul Rahman Khayyat, said that diplomats can not help women if they do not have the necessary documents to prove their marriage to a Saudi man, but try to help abandoned children.
Sometimes, however, the "tourist" gets caught out. Abu Fadi, a 45 year old who often went to Southeast Asia, during one of his trips undertook a short term marriage. But his “short-term” wife sent his "permanent" Saudi wife photos of the wedding. "It 's been a terrible experience," he said. "My wife has forgiven me, provided I would allow her to always accompany me abroad, whether I for work, studies or vacation."