Saudi Gazette report ABHA — Zubaidah, a 28-year-old Saudi woman, has taken refuge at the Social Protection Home in Abha. She alleged that her brothers started to physically abuse her after they had refused to let her marry a young man who proposed to her on the pretext of tribal incompatibility. Zubaidah said her misery continued at the Protection Home which abused her and prevented her from leaving, but the director of the home, Asthma Ismail, categorically denied these allegations and said nobody in the home had “ever touched her.” Zubaidah said she was a graduate of the education college of King Khaled University, and is currently jobless. She said after her father died her eldest brother became her guardian. She said her plight began five months ago when she insisted on marrying Ibrahim, a young man who proposed to her. Ibrahim, however, failed to show up during the drafting of the marriage contract because he had to take his sister to hospital. “I filed an Adl case (for the guardian preventing her from getting married). The judge was to announce a ruling on Nov. 24, 2012, but he did not show up. Since then I have been staying at the protection home waiting for the next court session, which has not been scheduled yet,” she said. Zubaidah said her brother took SR11,000 from her fiancé, which was half the dowry, but when the fiancé was unable to show up on the day of the marriage contract due to the illness of his sister, a relative convinced her family that the man was not fit to marry their daughter because of tribal incompatibility. “I insisted on marrying him. The family started to abuse me physically. I filed an Adl lawsuit but when the judge did not come to the court, I escaped to the Social Protection Home,” she said. Zubaidah said she has been engaged seven months ago and was adamant on marrying Ibrahim, no matter what the consequences are. She accused the shelter of abusing her by imprisoning her but he director of the home said it was not within her authority to allow the inmates there to leave the premises. “None of the occupants will be allowed to leave the home without permission from the governorate,” she said. She said all the residents were treated equally and denied that anyone of them was abused. She said she had an affidavit written and signed by Zubaidah that she was never abused at the shelter. Chairman of the Human Rights Commission in Asir province Dr. Ali Al-Shaabi said the commission was making efforts to reconcile Zubaidah with her family amicably away from the court. “So far I have met with Zubaidah and Ibrahim. I will soon visit the family to listen to them,” he said.
