The case gained attention after lawyer Abdul Rahman Al Lahim (pictured) shared the couple’s plight on Snapchat
A Saudi woman has lost a judicial battle to marry the man of her choice after a court ruled him out on religious grounds because he plays a musical instrument.
In some parts of the kingdom, a man who plays a musical instrument is considered to be of inferior status.
The couple live in the ultra-conservative region of Qassim, north of the capital Riyadh.
Two years ago the suitor, who is a teacher, asked for the hand of a 38-year-old woman bank manager, the Saudi newspaper Okaz said on Tuesday.
But her family objected, saying he was not ‘religiously compatible’ with her because he played the oud, the oriental lute which is popular across the Arab world.
But her family objected, saying he was not ‘religiously compatible’ with her because he played the oud, the oriental lute which is popular across the Arab world.
As Saudi women cannot legally marry without the consent of their male guardians, the unnamed couple took their case to the courts.
Women to seek permission from male ‘guardians’ – their fathers, husbands or other male relatives – to travel, speak to unrelated men and perform other tasks.
A lower court weighed in on the side of the family, saying the marriage could not go through.
A Saudi woman walks behind a man on a shopping street in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia
‘Because the suitor plays a musical instrument he is unsuitable for the woman from a religious point of view,’ the court said, according to Okaz.
An appeals court ratified the verdict, making it final, the newspaper added.
The woman told Okaz she will seek intervention from the country’s ‘highest authorities’ – a reference to the royal court.
The bank manager, who holds a masters degree and is responsible for more than 300 employees, said she was determined to marry her suitor, describing him as ‘very pious and with a good reputation’.
The story came to light after lawyer Abdul Rahman Al Lahim shared a video of himself discussing the couple’s plight on Snapchat, Stepfeed reported.
‘The case took place in Aneiza city and started when a woman visited me asking to sue her brothers who refused to allow her to marry a man who had proposed to her, because he once played oud (string instrument) and so wasn’t considered religious,’ he said.
‘When the case went to court, a judge rejected it, agreeing with the cleric on the fact that the man wasn’t fit to marry because he plays music and therefore, isn’t religious enough.
‘The story ends here because the man, who deserves a chance to defend himself before a court, was never given the chance to do that,’ the lawyer added.
Hours after Al Lahim’s post, thousands of Saudi’s began to debate the matter online.
One Twitter user wrote: ‘Whether you like it or not, music is haram (unacceptable in Islam) and that’s mentioned in the holy Quran. I listen to music but I also don’t deny that it’s wrong to do that.’
Another pointed out that: ‘Marrying off an underage girl to an old man is permissible. The marriage of an adult woman and an instrumentalist isn’t.’
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, pictured on September 30, is spearheading a reform campaign in the Kingdom, although many feel it does not go far enough
Saudi Arabia has introduced a string of reforms over the past year aimed at improving the kingdom’s image, spearheaded by the crown prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The prince has opened cinemas, allowed women to attend sporting events and ended a longstanding ban on them driving.
In April last year, the King also decreed that government agencies allow women to access their services without a male guardian’s consent.
But the kingdom continues to face criticism over a lack of tolerance of dissent, as well as the persistence of its male guardianship system which allows men to exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on behalf of their female relatives.