And You Thought Your In-laws Were Bad?

By Pamela Mortimer

A report released on Monday shows that Fatima and Mansour al-Timani have a bad case of in-law-itis. Without Fatima’s knowledge, family members had her marriage to Mansour annulled in absentia because they believe Fatima had "married beneath her". Fatima and Mansour were not aware of the court proceeding until divorce papers were served at the al-Timani house nine months after the ruling.

"We were shattered," Fatima said. "How did this happen? Why?"

The couple has been forced by Saudi law to live apart since that time – nearly two years ago. Fatima has written a letter of appeal to King Abdullah to have the ruling overturned, threatening suicide if she is forced to remain apart from her husband. All attempts to bring public awareness of their plight have done little to further their cause.

"Only the king can resolve my case," Fatima told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I want to return to my husband, but if that is not possible, I need to know so I can put an end to my life."

This case only emphasizes shortcomings in the Saudi legal system, where rules of evidence are often shaky, lawyers aren’t always present, and sentences often depend on a judge’s whim. Under the Islamic law, a family does have the legal right to annul a marriage if they believe that the husband is not suitable marriage material.

Women are the most victimized citizens of the country and must live under severe circumstances: They are not permitted to drive, appear in court without a male representative, or travel abroad without the permission of a male guardian.

Recently, King Abdullah pardoned another high-profile defendant — a rape victim who had been sentenced to receive lashes and jail time because she had been in a car with a man to whom she was not related.

"When I heard that the (rape victim) was pardoned, I couldn't believe it. My case is so much simpler than hers, since my divorce is invalid," Fatima said.

Fatima said Mansour, a hospital administrator, followed the Saudi tradition when he asked her father for permission to marry her in 2003. Fatima was 29 at the time of the marriage.

"My brother reported good things about him, so my dad accepted his proposal," said Fatima.

Fatima said her father was aware that Mansour came from a less prominent tribe than theirs, but that he did not object because he "cared about the man himself".

Just a few months after the nuptials, several of Fatima's relatives, including her half-brother, persuaded her father "to give them power of attorney to file a lawsuit demanding an annulment," she said.

After her father died, Fatima had hoped the case against the couple would be dropped. It was not.

Seeing no other option, Fatima took the couple's 2 year old daughter and 4 month old son and went to live with her mother. The mother eventually persuaded Fatima to let Mansour deal with the legal issues.

After three months of separation, Fatima took the children and flew with Mansour to the seaside city of Jiddah, where they hoped to live in anonymity. Saudi police tracked them down and imprisoned the entire family for living together illegally.

"The police told me I either return to my (mother's) family or go to jail," Fatima said. "I chose jail."

"My children and I were thrown in a cell with women sentenced for pushing drugs, practicing witchcraft and behaving immorally," Fatima said. Authorities allowed the couple’s daughter to be returned to her father but the baby remained in jail with Fatima.

After being imprisoned for nine months, Fatima was permitted to move to an orphanage where she and her son share an apartment "with several other women".

Fatima said she is still hoping King Abdullah might pardon her and recognize that she is "married to Mansour, before God."

"I love him more than ever. He's the only one who has stood by me," she said.