Replies to '06/16 A Daughter in Danger?'

As an American I understand how fustratimg this is.  I am American born and raised but have lived and traveled in the middle east.  Everyone is stunned at how this man could want to marry someone he has never met.  First, please realize I do not condone this but this is the fact.  In their culture it is normal.  It is not uncommon for Muslims to meet on line and marry, the embassies routinely see people applying for visa's to meet people they met on the Internet. Although Americans meet/fall in love and choose their own mate, this is a very western behavior.

When I lived in the middle east it was not usual to find that many of the people i worked with (Muslim) had never even talked to their mate before the wedding day.  What we here are freaked out by is a normal process there.

In addition, in Muslim culture, it is custom for the female to move in and live with the family. I am sorry to say it is also common for the female to be cut off from her family if the husband desires this.

A good bet would be to have this girl go to the embassy and register.  Though the embassy does not act to protect her, they can at least have tabs/info on her  and kind of keep her informed of the situation in the country.  They can also provide her w/some cultural education/info and do/don't/safety info for Americans living in the country as well as guidance on a possible escape plan if needed.

If this guy is a good guy then he Will be a good husband, they take this far more serious than Americans.  But if he is not, she is in for something she has never planned for and it will be horrible.