Canadian mom, children trapped in Saudi Arabia by abusive common-law husband (Bisha, Saudi Arabia)

Dad SAHEED AL SHARAHNI managed to lure his Canadian common law wife to Saudi Arabia. Now, because of this country's regressive laws, she cannot leave with her children despite his torturous treatment. The father has expressed some interest in letting her and the children go if a ransom is paid though--about $290,000 U.S. What a bastard.

American and Canadian women need to educate themselves about the realities of countries like Saudi Arabia before they consent to move there. It's all very nice to be in love and want a foreign adventure and all, but mothers especially need to sober up and keep their eyes wide open.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/37212/

Friday, June 11, 2010

Montreal Woman, Children Trapped in Saudi Arabia
Abusive common-law husband and his family only interested in keeping the children as a source of money, says woman’s mother
By Joan Delaney
Epoch Times Staff Created: Jun 10, 2010 Last Updated: Jun 10, 2010

Just as one Canadian woman who had been stranded in Saudi Arabia was finally able to leave last month, another remains trapped under that country’s male guardianship system—along with her three young children.

For the past five years, Nathalie Morin, 25, has wanted to return to Canada with her children but cannot leave Saudi Arabia without the consent of her common-law husband, Saeed Al Sharahni, who she alleges is abusive.

According to Johanne Derocher, Morin’s mother who lives in Montreal, Canada, Al Sharahni beats Morin and for long periods kept her and the children locked in an apartment, isolated from society. The situation has deteriorated for Morin since the family recently moved to Al Sharahni’s mother’s home in Bisha, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near Yemen.

Although the children have more freedom now, Derocher says Al Sharahni’s family verbally abuses Morin and often confines her in a small storage room, sometimes for over 30 hours at a time and without food or water, despite temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Bisha.

“They’re trying to make her get sick and crazy, so she’s going to be on her knees and she’s going to have to come back to Canada. That’s what they’re trying to do,” says Derocher, adding that the family is illiterate and extremely poor.

“The mother is a widow, so now they’re trying to push my girl out of the country and they’re going to get money for the mother. She thinks she’s going to have a Filipino take care of the children, the house, the food, everything, and the government is going to pay that. So for them it’s a very big stroke of luck.”

Custody Issue

Derocher, who speaks to her daughter regularly by telephone, says Al Sharahni will allow Morin to leave without the children but she refuses, fearing they will be further neglected if she’s not there.

However, in a meeting with Canadian consular staff in October 2009, Al Sharahni said he would allow Morin to leave with the children if Canada paid him $300,000 (US$290,000).

Derocher says this was a perfect opportunity for Canadian officials to pressure the Saudi government for Morin and the children’s freedom, as it was proof that Al Sharahni only cares about the money, not the children.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, a consular official told Derocher in an e-mail that since Al Sharahni’s demand was legal under Saudi law, “we cannot take sides and will continue to consider the situation of Mrs. Morin and her three children as a private, family matter.”

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Simone MacAndrew said Tuesday that consular officials have advised Morin that she and Al Sharahni must resolve the issue of child custody through appropriate Saudi legal channels before the government can facilitate the children’s return to Canada.

Both Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and parliamentary Secretary Obhrai have raised this issue with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when they visited the country, MacAndrew said.

“Consular officials continue to support Ms. Morin in resolving the situation, but are limited by the laws of Saudi Arabia. With the assistance of Saudi officials, consular officials hope that Ms. Morin and her husband can reach an agreement for the positive resolution of this case,” she said.
The oldest child, Samir, age 8, was born in Canada while Abdullah, 4, and Sarah, 18 months, were born in Saudi. According to the group Nathalie Morin’s Support Committee, Abdullah and Sarah were conceived as a result of rape by Al Sharahni.

Marie Eve Adam is a member of the support committee and also works for Bloc Quebecois Member of Parliament Francine Lalonde. She says she and Lalonde have been “doing many things” to help Morin and the children return to Canada, including meeting with the Saudi ambassador last month.

In cases of American women trapped under Saudi’s male guardianship system, Adam says agreements were negotiated for them to leave the country without the permission of the male guardian.

“The kids usually stay over there unless there is proof that they are badly treated by the Saudi father—which is the case. We have medical reports that Samir is not well treated, and we are asking the Canadian government to negotiate the same thing with the Saudis.”

Bisha 'Worst Place'

It was thanks to media attention that Nazi Quazi, a Canadian citizen who was stuck in Saudi Arabia for almost three years because her father disapproved of her boyfriend, was finally allowed to leave in early May.

According to Muslims for Progressive Values, Quazi said she obtained her father’s consent to leave the country after her family decided the media coverage made them appear dishonourable.
Adam says media attention in Morin’s case has also helped. “I mean, it’s not resolved, but it’s always put us a bit forward—the media coverage. It’s the only thing that worked.”

Morin and Al Sharahni met in 2001 in Montreal. Soon after the birth of their first child in 2002, Al Sharahni was deported for being in the country illegally. Morin joined him in Saudi Arabia in 2005, when she was just 20.

“She was very idealistic and she thought she was going to make a family with him and everything, but about three weeks after she arrived there he beat her for the first time—a very bad beating,” says Derocher.

Morin returned to Montreal alone in 2006 for a month, but missed the children so much she returned to Saudi.

With Morin already having attempted suicide once, Derocher says she’s very worried about her. She’s also concerned for the children’s welfare in Bisha, which she says is a hub for drug and munitions trafficking as well as terrorist groups.

“That’s the worst place in Saudi. It’s the very worst place, where the people are very hard. So I am very afraid that my girl and my grandchildren are there.”