Salih Al-Shihee Al-Watan Many Saudi men who want to marry a second wife do not have enough courage to do so because they are afraid of their first wife. That is why you see them waiting patiently for summer vacation. When summer comes, they travel to an Arab or Muslim country and marry the young woman of their choice for a temporary period of time. This type of marriage is called a “pleasure marriage”. It continues for a short time, which the husband and the wife (or rather the broker) agree upon. It can last for a month or two or maybe more. Those Saudis who marry women this way can only be described as exploiters because they take advantage of the fact that some families abroad are poor and want to marry their daughters to rich men. When a Saudi man arrives at the airport of one of the countries known to have this type of marriage, he will be approached by marriage brokers as soon as he gets off the plane. Usually, the brokers show the man photos of different women and provide him with information, such as the woman's height, weight, hair color, etc. The entire matter is conducted like a business deal. At the end of the agreed period of the “marriage”, the Saudi husband will divorce the young woman and return home, leaving her behind. Because such marriages can have a detrimental social and human impact on the women involved in such contracts with Saudi men, the government has established the Saudi Charitable Society for the Welfare of Saudi Families Abroad (Awasser). The society takes care of 7,000 families abroad who have been abandoned by Saudi men. If a man wants to get married, he should do it legally and ethically. It is better than traveling to different countries searching for temporary wives. It is also better than making a mistake and letting Awasser pay for it.
