80-year-old Saudi man marries teenager

2010-11-04 12:50:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

RIYADH (BNO NEWS) -- An elderly Saudi man has married a teenager and is refusing to divorce her until she pays him dowry, according to local media on Thursday.

The Saudi Ajel newspaper reported that the 80-year-old man recently married the unidentified 14-year-old girl, whose father claims she was forced into it. But now both the girl and father want a divorce, the elderly man insists he wants his dowry before doing so.

Dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a female gives to her husband when getting married. In this case, the man is demanding 17,000 Saudi riyals (4,500 USD).

"Her father has said that he does not have the money and is asking for anyone to help him so that he can regain his daughter," the paper reported. "The elderly man, however, has threatened the father to pay or have her daughter taken by force."

According to the law in Saudi Arabia, any sort of sexual activity is illegal outside of marriage. However, there is no restriction on the age of marriage.

In late 2008, a Saudi court rejected a plea to divorce an eight-year-old girl who had been married to a 58-year-old man. Her father had sent her off to the man to marry him, but the mother protested and went to court after she was married.

However, the court decided that the marriage is legal and noted that the girl should file a complaint in court herself when she reaches puberty, if she wants to divorce her husband.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-11-04

No need to worry. Sharia law is just. This will be dealt with fairly. The gentleman's property rights must be respected.

Whew! I thought this was going to be yet another Pattaya story.

Something not right about this report.

Its the norm for the man to pay a dowry for the wife in the land of the prophet.

May well be the old goat wants his money back, another Riyadh resident with his Asir region trophy bride.

Not unheard of for the girls fathers to marry them off for the dowry of a brand new Toyota Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol.

happen in Thailand every day, dirty old man marries teenager!