A Saudi organization launched an initiative that aims at encouraging Saudi men inside the kingdom to marry Saudi girls living abroad in an attempt to counter the rise of marriages with foreigners, Al-Arabiya news reported.
Chairman of the Charitable Society for the Care of Saudi Families Abroad, Tawfik al-Suwailem, called upon Saudi youth to consider marrying their female compatriots who live abroad instead of engaging in what he called “random marriages,” in reference to the phenomenon of marrying foreign women, which is said to increase significantly during the summer, when Saudis go on holidays.
“Unlike marrying a foreigner, a Saudi man won’t need a permit from the Ministry of Interior when marrying a Saudi living abroad,” Suwailem was quoted as saying by the Saudi newspaper al-Hayat.
Suwailem added that there are several advantages of marrying Saudi women living abroad.
“The bride and the groom will have a similar social background and the same traditions. Plus, this kind of marriages would encourage those girls to come back to Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Suwailem warned Saudi men of marriage brokers abroad who take advantage of rich youth and marry them to foreigners.
“Brokers who work in both Arab and Western countries make a lot of money through marrying Saudi men to foreign women,” he said.
In addition, he added, many of those youth marry foreigners abroad without getting the necessary permit from the kingdom.
“So, they end up also violating Saudi laws,” he added.