Saudi judge supports daughter in rare verdict

A Saudi court has set precedence in settling family disputes in the conservative Gulf Kingdom when it rejected a father’s plea to force his daughter out of the university for disobedience, a local newspaper reported on Monday.

The court in the eastern town of Jubail upheld a request by the unnamed girl to pursue her study at the university after she was about to be expelled at her father’s request, Alyoum Arabic language daily said.

The girl had filed a complaint to the court when she was told by the Jubail university that she could no longer attend classes at her father’s request.

“She was prevented from attending some lectures and this caused her a psychological breakdown….she tried to reach a cordial solution with her father but he refused and insisted that she leave the university,” the paper said.

“She then resorted to court with the help of her brother…she told court that she just wants to pursue her studies and that she had never been disobedient to her father…she said that the real problem was between her father and her divorced mother and that her father was just taking it on her.”

Alyoum, which did not specify the daughter’s age, said the judge upheld her request to complete her study at the university but told her she must always obey and be kind to her father. “It was the first verdict of its kind,” it said.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.