Many Saudi widows and divorced women are finding it difficult to rent an apartment on their own. Owners of apartments are turning them away for want of a mahram (a close relative with whom marriage is unlawful). These hapless women complain about the shabby treatment meted out to them by society. B.H., a Saudi widow, has been running from pillar to post and has approached senior officials to get permission to rent an apartment where she can live with her children in dignity. The widow poured her heart out to Saudi Gazette and gave details of the difficulties she has encountered since the death of her husband. “My husband died six years ago and his family offered me the option of either taking his pension or our children. I opted for the latter,” she said. In Saudi society, she said, a widow or a divorced woman is looked down upon, and it is always believed that she may somehow steal somebody else's husband. “Whenever I go to rent an apartment, the wife of the building's owner also comes along at the time of signing the lease. And she stares at me as if I were from another world,” she said. More often than not, she said, the wife of the building owner, forces her husband not to rent out the apartment to a lady without a mahram. “I am surprised that at times even after paying a deposit, I get a call later saying that I will not get the apartment,” she said. The Saudi widow is requesting authorities to build housing units especially for women like her. These houses, she said, must be available at affordable prices on the lines of the projects launched in neighboring Gulf countries. “That way we can live in peace away from the greed and caprices of the building owners,” she said. “It is amazing that the State is spending billions on various projects without considering the sorry state of our affairs,” added B.H. “I lived in a high rent apartment. But the apartment owner wanted to increase the rent even further, which was beyond my means. He wanted me to either pay the high rent or move out. The owner lodged a complaint against me in the municipality, and they came with an eviction order,” B.H. lamented. “My friends advised me to take a house in a comparatively cheaper area. My brother helped me by posing as my husband in getting the apartment,” she added. “Lately, I have found that the area is far away from my children's schools and that I have to bear the extra cost of transportation. There are several other problems in the area that make me fear for myself and my children. But there is no solution,” the widow said. Saudi society, she says, is forcing widows and divorced women to change their culture and way of life. Haifa'a Khalid, a Saudi journalist who started her own website “Saudi Divorce Initiative” in March to discuss the plight of Saudi divorced and widowed women, said several women had approached Dr. Ghazi Al-Gossaibi, Minister of Labor, pointing out to him the plight of divorced and widowed women. “The minister was requested to support divorced and widowed women by giving them employment in the private sector,” said Khalid. Dr. Talal Al-Bakri, head of the Social Committee in the Shoura Council, confirmed the necessity of having a system that protects divorced and widowed women. “We have yet to discuss the issue of a rule to facilitate the rent procedures for woman without a mahram, but widowed and divorced women can call the Social Affairs Department in Makkah to make sure that their rights are protected,” said Al
