Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Slow Day in Saudi

Not much going on in the Sandbox, today.

The King - who seems to have a great deal more common sense than many, here - has waived the 60 lashes previously ordered to be given to 22-year-old Rozana Al-Yami for being a participant in what is probably the "scandal of the year." Ms. Al-Yami's case has been transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Information, along with her co-worker, another female journalist. We have not heard the last of this.

In another lashing verdict, the married woman who was just recently convicted of engaging in "misyar marriages in order to cheat prospective husbands out of dowry money" has lost her appeal. She will be lashed 300 times and will spend two years in prison for her "crime[s]." A male defendant involved in the same scheme has "had his sentence of one year's prison and 150 lashes upheld." Interesting that the same laws do not apply to married women as they do to married men, here. If a man is "legally married" and participates in a "misyar" marriage, that is just fine. After all, the man can have up to four wives. However, if a woman, "who is legally married" wants to involve herself in a "misyar" marriage, she gets in trouble. Oh, yeah. That's right. The married woman is only allowed ONE husband. I get it. [Misyar marriage: "in which couples live apart and the male is relieved of the responsibility of providing a home..." Legalized prostitution? No. Couldn't possibly be...]

1 comment:

  1. I can imagine a pmip in a fur-lined, purple thobe standing in a dusty alley, "Hey man, you wanna get married for the weekend? I can hook you up with a ring and a wife for thirty-G."

    ReplyDelete

 
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