Mothers aren't kidnappers, they're victims deprived of their children (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

Kudos to Haya Al-Manie for a very brave article. Mothers in the Mideast have almost no rights. And unfortunately, we seem to be seeing a worldwide race to the bottom on these issues thanks to a now international fathers rights movement.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article204820.ece

Local Press: Mothers stealing own children
By HAYA AL-MANIE AL-RIYADH

Published: Nov 30, 2010 23:36 Updated: Nov 30, 2010 23:36

FROM time to time, newspapers report stories about children who go missing.

Then days later, we hear reports of the child being found with his mother who “kidnapped” him before he is reunited with his father. These types of stories crop up from time to time.

The problem lies in the reason of why the mother kidnapped the child. I would not call it a kidnapping because the mother is not the criminal in this case, but the victim.

Yes, she is a victim when she is deprived of the right to see her children. The mother will do anything to see her children even if that means storming into schools with a machine gun, just like what one did recently in Hail.

This problem will not be solved by returning the child to his father. We need a system that gives rights to the mother enabling her to see her child and fulfill her duties.

Consideration of the children’s needs after a divorce is totally absent. This points to the urgent need of having a clear law that specifies the parents’ custody rights over their children after divorce. This law should consider the child first and foremost.

Depriving the mother of the right to see her child simply because she asked for a divorce totally goes against Islam.

I am sure the psychological condition of the child is a matter of concern and that he lives in fear of the father, especially if he has been taken away from his mother. It beggars belief that a mother took the extreme measure of storming into an elementary school with a machine gun to see her child.

This shows how desperate the mother is to see her child thanks to her ex-husband. Government agencies have a responsibility to protect the mother and the child.