The article “Girls in family prisons!”(Mar. 11) is really sad. Everyone should be allowed to marry whomever he or she wants. Sometimes our parents are overly concerned. A lot of nice Muslim girls have accepted their fates, and really what else can they do? They must live and let others live. They want to get married, and do not want to commit sin or do anything un-Islamic. Izdiher, Online response II. This story made me extremely sad. How can parents do that to their own children? Why do they put their own tribe or family above all other issues? Our Prophet (peace be upon him) gave us guidelines for choosing a partner. I cannot understand this tribal issue at all. May Allah help all sisters and brothers who are in this situation. As for me, I would protest and not spend my life with someone whom I do not love. Anne, Online response III. As an English revert to Islam, I can see that the reasons for this girl not marrying were not based on Islam. However, I am unable to decide if the article is telling me that the failure of good proposals was due to the mother being non-Saudi or due to the girl working and having a liberal upbringing. Possibly both? Laura, Online response IV. This is also happening to boys whose mothers are foreign or non-tribal. Their father married who he wanted, but he tries to control who his children marry. The children because they come from two different cultures see the discrimination and try to fight it, but sometimes to no avail. Umm Abdullah, Online response