There’s a long debate going on whether Emirati men should marry expats or not. Since long it has been a burning question. However, it all has gained hype due to the economic boom that hit UAE and as a result of which many foreigners flew to the country. A heavy inflow of people from all around the world has been moving to UAE to land on good salaried jobs being offered in the country. However, a general perception in Arab states is against this very notion. Since, the government and the locals believe that marrying outside families can sabotage their own culture, traditions and customs. A proof of which can be found by observing Saudi Arabia’s strict shariah law, where a foreigner can only enter the country as a labor. Else they have no other privileges or rights of a citizen, neither can they be one! Above all a foreigner in Arab states cannot buy their own property, as the government sub-leases the property, that too for investment purposes and through a kafeel. So the Emirati’s and Arabs have complete monopoly over their lands.
Many families in UAE are very conservative, and want to keep their traditions alive. They ensure that their children marry someone from within the family circle, and for this to take all necessary measures. Since, they are afraid that if their child marries an expat their offspring may not have a sense of patriotism. According to the National Center for Statistics, most of the marriages by UAE nationals with foreign wives end in divorce. For instance, there were 1,798 marriages with foreigners in UAE last year, and 695, or 39 per cent, of these marriages ended in divorce.
From time to time the issue of an Emirati marrying a foreigner has taken different directions. Initially, such marriages were not allowed. The state itself took action against such marriages. To overcome this problem and to encourage inter- marriages, the government started to release Dhs to Emirati men for marrying a local. The amount was fixed to 20,000 Dhs a month. Surprisingly, this amount is given to an Emirati all for doing nothing, but marrying a local. Isa Bin Haider, CEO of Bin Haider advocates and legal consultants in UAE advised not to marry foreign women, saying that such marriages can create social, legal, and financial complications. He said a decree by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, fixed it at 50,000 AED, which applies only in case of marriages with Emirati women. Thus, Emirati men usually follow such rules to benefit from it. However, a foreigner can marry an Emirati man, but the government believes that such marriages only leads to serious consequences, since foreign women create problems when the men’s reserves get depleted. Eventually, such marriages usually end up in courts with divorces.
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