Riyadh, June 28: The Shoura Council said a fine of up to SR100,000 will be imposed on Saudis who violate the regulations of the proposed marriage law that would allow Saudis to marry foreigners.
The bill was approved Monday at the council’s session chaired by Vice Chairman Bandar bin Mohammed Hamzah Hajjar.
The draft marriage law prepared by a special committee appointed by the council contained 13 articles that outlined the social, cultural, environmental and religious impact on Saudi men marrying non-Saudi women and Saudi women marrying non–Saudis.
The bill allows Saudi men and women to marry nationals from the Gulf countries since they belong to the same religion and are supported by identical cultures.
Secretary-General Muhammed Al-Ghamdi explained that applications for marriages where a Saudi marrying a non-Saudi from countries outside the GCC should be made three months prior to the official Nikah ceremony.
Such applicants have to submit their proposal to a special committee in their respective governorates. The committee would forward the application with its recommendations to the governorate for necessary approval by the Ministry of Interior.
According to Al-Ghamdi, such a committee would comprise senior government servants from the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Social Affairs and the Saudi Human Rights Commission.
It is laid down in the proposed law that the marriage should be solemnized in accordance with Islamic law and there should not be an age difference of more than 25 years between the bride and groom. It is also specifically mentioned that both parties should be free from diseases and they should not be victims of drug related problems.
The house said that violation of any part of the act will be subject to a fine of not more than SR100,000 to the Saudi national who opts to marry a non-Saudi ignoring local regulations.
It was also said that the collection of such fines should be diverted to the Ministry of Social Affairs, which in turn will offer those funds to organizations that help young Saudis get married.
The members said that family is the nucleus of society and a stable and secure family would contribute to the development of society according to Islamic law.
-Courtesy: Arab News