A Saudi court in Jeddah has transferred the marriage guardianship of a 39-year-old teacher from her father to the Shariah governor, after it was proved that he had obstructed her marriage more than 10 times.
The teacher, who has not been named, filed a lawsuit with the family court, claiming that her father and other family members were obstructing her marriage to the man she wants to marry. She said that more than 10 suitors had proposed to her over the years, but her father had rejected all of them.
The last suitor was an Asian resident who is a Muslim and a native of Saudi Arabia. He works in a respectable job and is of good character. He proposed to her twice, but her father refused.
The court found that the teacher’s father was obstructing her marriage without a valid reason. It ordered the transfer of the marriage guardianship to the Shariah governor, who will now be responsible for approving or disapproving the marriage.
The case is a landmark decision in Saudi Arabia, where women are traditionally required to obtain the consent of their male guardian before they can marry.