In one of the strangest marriages in the records of Saudi courts, an 80-year-old man, according to a judge, married a 60-year-old virgin. The woman could not get married before because her father insisted that she and her three sisters (aged 56, 48, and 44) could only marry relatives who must be from the same tribe. The bride told Arabic daily Al-Watan her uncles had prevented her from marrying even after her father died 25 years ago, noting that many of the women in the family were facing the same problem. She said the groom's daughters had finally convinced her to accept the offer of marriage even though she had initially refused. The Director of the Reconciliation Committee's branch in Makkah said acts such as those of the father could cause adverse physiological and psychological effects, and that further efforts were needed to raise awareness against such practices. The Charitable Society to Help Youths Get Married in Jeddah bore all the expenses of the couples' wedding including assistance in furnishing their house.
