Judge becomes Saudi woman's guardian after brother refuses to let her marry

A Saudi woman, who filed a lawsuit against her brother because he refused to let her marry, won the case, Sabq news site reported. 

Without his permission, the claimant couldn't get married, because just like all Saudi women, she is subjected to the kingdom's >male guardianship system.

Under this system, a male guardian, usually a father, brother, or husband, has legal rights over most major aspects of a woman's life, including her freedom of movement and ability to work. 

According to Sabq, the woman filed a case against her brother, who's also her male guardian, accusing him of unjustly refusing to let her marry a man who had proposed to her. She also said he had rejected several others who had proposed to her over the past few years. 

During his hearings, the defendant claimed he had only refused one person because he felt that the marriage wouldn't be right for his sister. 

The judge then heard from several key witnesses in the case, including the woman and the man who's now her husband, they all refuted the defendant's claim. 

Based on that, the judge eventually decided to transfer the woman's guardianship to himself, then onto an authorized Islamic judge who signed her marriage contract to the groom. 

The news of the unique incident and ruling has been making the rounds online in the past few days and saw hundreds of people react to it. 

"In sharia and law, a woman's guardianship cannot be transferred without a just religious reason. If there wasn't one in this case, it's the brother's right to appeal this ruling and sue the judge." 

"What right did this brother or 'male guardian' have to stop her from getting married? If the person who proposed to her is a good man, he has no right to reject him."

"God bless this judge, may we come across more people like him."

"What's coming is better than what has gone."

"'After they transferred her guardianship = after they took the prison key from her brother and gave it to the judge to ensure the slave doesn't escape."

Saudi women have long been >fighting against the kingdom's >male guardianship system, and even though they've made significant strides in recent months, they remain subject to its rules. 

However, in April last year, a positive change was announced by King Salman who >ordered government agencies to allow women to access government services without a male guardian's consent.

While the order is considered a positive step forward and a sign that could possibly signal the> beginning of the system's end, it still doesn't mean complete freedom for women. 

In fact, in the same month of Salman's order, Dina Ali Lasloom, a 24-year-old Saudi woman, was >stopped in Manila airport while attempting to escape her family and seek asylum in Australia. She was forcibly >returned to Riyadh and has not been heard from since.