Riyadh: A Saudi couple who were forced to divorce over “social incompatibility” announced that they would take their case to the High Court as a last resort to salvage their marriage.
The Court of Appeals in Riyadh upheld a preliminary verdict issued by a lower court in Uyaynah in Riyadh province in October 2016 to forcibly separate Maha and Ali over “tribal incompatibility”, after the family members of the bride filed a lawsuit against the husband, accusing him of cheating regarding his ancestral origins.
This is reminiscent of the case of Mansour and Fatima, a married couple who were forcibly divorced by the lower court of Al-Jouf, whose verdict was upheld by the Court of Cassation.
The Saudi High Court stepped in 2010 to overrule the ruling and reinstate the marriage after a four-year bitter legal battle, during which the wife, Fatima, stayed at a social care centre in the city of Al-Dammam.
The husband, Ali, appeared along with his daughter two days in a video recording posted on social media websites urging the judicial authorities and human rights parties to study his case.
Ali expressed his strong desire to be reunited with his now-divorced wife and enjoy have stable family life and put an end to his ordeal.
The ex-wife, Maha, has also posted a video recording on social media websites expressing her fears that she may be compelled in a social care house after the abrogation of her marriage by the Court of Appeals.