Saudi Gazette report

As the conflict in Syria enters its fourth year, millions of displaced Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring countries, mainly Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. Numerous reports coming out of Syrian refugee camps in Jordan have said female refugees are being courted by Saudi men who propose marriage by telling families they wish to take care of their daughters, only to disappear shortly after consummating the marriage, Makkah daily reported.



In Jordan’s Al-Zaatari refugee camp, a family consultant from the settlement arranges the marriage for SR5,000 per bride and with so many Saudi men having disappeared officials at the Affairs Directory of the settlement said they were worried because “many of the women involved are of a very young age”.



The honor of many Syrian women is being auctioned on WhatsApp Messenger through messages containing the pictures, names and phone numbers of potential grooms. The messages can contain the information of up to 40 women and include the phrase “If you are not brave enough for polygamy, please forward this message to someone who is.”



The messages are always signed by a “certified” family consultant.



Um Alaa has been a matchmaker for over 15 years and has also introduced many Syrian women to their Saudi husbands. When asked to comment on the issue, she said her job is to merely find the right person so a marriage can take place in a legal way. She did, however, admit that Saudi men are increasingly marrying Syrian women.



“It’s because they are looking for women with light skin and blonde hair and the women just want security. My male applicants are mostly elderly men and in many cases, they want to keep their marriage a secret,” she said.



When refugees in the camps send pictures of female relatives that they want to get married to the family consultant, he forwards their information to Um Alaa who shows the pictures to potential grooms. When two parties like each other and terms are agreed upon. Um Alaa gets paid around SR2,000, not including tips. Finally, the family consultant completes the necessary paperwork so the couple can marry.



In most cases, families are duped into marrying their daughters to Saudi men. In this elaborate ploy that is full of deceit and betrayal, potential grooms promise to provide a safe and settled life, full of money and other luxuries but end up fleeing before the honeymoon period ends.



“We did not choose to come to these refugee camps. We were chased away by grenades and bullets. Many sacrificed their lives to get us here and then this becomes our reality. Young girls who have barely flourished, wilt before they bloom,” said Um Abdulkarim, a Syrian refugee.



Saudi men go through great lengths to gain the trust of the families they propose to. They take care of their living expenses and foster their children, for example, and once they gain their trust, they propose marriage.



According to Um Abdulkarim, the biggest problem is that no one runs a background check on potential grooms. “The men are only obligated to be present in front of officials when signing the marriage contract and they can get away with their crimes by bribing their way out,” she added.



A German TV channel recently ran a segment that highlighted the case of a 70-year-old Saudi man who hired a marriage ambassador to find him a 13-year-old bride.



The man got his wish when after one of the three approached girls allegedly gave her consent.



When asked to comment, Sami Al-Saleh, Saudi ambassador to Jordan, said: “Saudi marriages to Syrians are rare cases and not a phenomenon. All of these stories are heavily publicized in order to tarnish the reputation of Saudis.”



According to Zayed Hamid, the head of Ketab and Sunnah Association, marriages in Al-Zaatari refugee camp fall into three categories: Marriage to Muslim Arabs, marriage without documentation and marriage without official contracts. Under Jordanian law, marriages of the first category are legal and officially recorded by the concerned Jordanian officials and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



The second type is not recorded in courts and is therefore a breached contract and the third type is the most dangerous because it can lead to trafficking.



Surveys conducted by the bodies that oversee the affairs of Syrian refugees revealed that Syrian women in the camps are getting married four times more than they were last year.



Officially, 2,936 marriages between Syrian women and foreign men were recorded this year, and 765 involved women younger than 18.