"My ex-husband abducted the children and took them to Saudi Arabia"
My three children, all under the age of eight, were abducted by my
Saudi ex-husband on Nov. 24, 2013 and were taken to Saudi Arabia. When
I’m asked in America why I married a man from Saudi Arabia, my response
is always the same: “You can’t help who you fall in love with.” But my
advice to anyone wishing to marry someone from a different country, a
different culture, is to really think about how these differences will
impact your marriage.
I always tried to look at the positives. Our children had a unique and
beautiful opportunity to get the best of both worlds, expand their
horizons and be exposed to the rich cultures of their parents’ heritage.
But I never thought about what would happen if our marriage didn’t work
out. When you are in love, it’s hard to think: “What will happen to the
children if we get divorced?” No one wants to think of divorce.
I became a Muslim in the summer of 2001. I then met and fell in love
with a young Saudi student, and we married early in 2002. I thought, as
many young women who are in love thought, that we would be able to
handle any conflicts together. We discussed the differences in our
backgrounds, but I dismissed any idea that I wouldn’t be able to live
with him anywhere, as long as we were together.
I thought I was prepared when I moved to Jeddah in the summer of 2003. I
was Muslim, it was a Muslim country. I was committed to my husband and
to Islam. But the culture shock crept up on me, as I’m sure it has crept
up on many. I became increasingly isolated and lonely. I felt that I
was letting down my husband with my unhappiness, and he acted like he
agreed.
Our lives progressed and in the summer of 2012, my husband resigned from
his job to accept a scholarship for his master’s degree in the US. I
was content. I settled into homeschooling our older two sons. Our
youngest son, developmentally delayed due to a congenital defect, was
getting all the therapy he needed. I was close to my family. My husband
was doing well in school. Our children were shining beacons of
beautiful, open, friendly Muslims, better dawah (call to Islam) than I
could ever give on my own.
But then, late in October of 2012, my world shattered. My husband came
to me with an announcement. He had decided to take a second wife. I was
shocked and then outraged when he told me the wedding would take place
in five days, to a young woman who had become a Muslim only weeks
earlier. I begged, pleaded with my husband not to rush into this
marriage. We had been married for nearly 10 years and I did not believe I
could live in a polygamous marriage.
We ended up separating. Through the pain of the destruction of my
marriage, I wanted only what was best for our children. He assured me
that he would always take care of them, that he would stay in America
with his new American wife.
But things became increasingly strained between us. I felt that he
became more controlling, irrational, and erratic as time went by. It was
after I didn’t have enough money to buy groceries for our children and I
became fearful of his actions towards me that I sought relief through
the courts for child support and an official custody agreement.
We shared custody in the US, and negotiated the terms of an Islamic
parenting plan, a contract, that scheduled travel to Saudi Arabia during
the school holidays. This custody agreement was nearly done by the fall
of 2013. He made every indication that he agreed with the arrangements.
And then the worst night of my life happened. The children were
supposed be dropped off at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, after a regular
visit to their father and new stepmother. But he never showed up. I
texted, called, desperate to find the boys, with no response. I called
hospitals, police, as I was worried about an accident. It was hours
later that I found out that my children had left on a Saudi Airlines
flight at 5:55 p.m. I literally fell to the floor in fear and grief. My
children, who had never spent more than a night away from me, were gone.
I had loved them and cared for them before they were even born. I had
only ever wanted to do what was right for them. And they were stolen
from me.
No one wants to think about divorce, about what will happen if their
partner doesn’t honor the mother of his children and doesn’t respect the
right of young children to remain with their mother. My children have
been kept from me for six months. I have been trying, from the day they
were taken, to either get them back, or get to them in Saudi Arabia. My
ex-husband has refused mediation attempts. I have been trying to find
help in any way possible.
The US government has filed kidnapping charges against my ex-husband and his new wife, who was recently arrested and charged with assisting in
the kidnapping while traveling back to the US. Even more recently, I had
a meeting with the Saudi Consulate in the US and I’m hoping for the
best.
But meanwhile, the children live without their mother. They do not wake
up to me making them breakfast. We do not take walks through the yard
and learn about the things that live there. We do not sit together and
read stories of the Prophets and Islamic poetry. We do not snuggle up at
night before bed, reading and talking about our days. My house, once
full of love and laughter, is quiet and empty.
Jessica Socling, USA
Note from Susie:
Unfortunately Jessica's story is not as uncommon as we would like to believe. I get emails from women all over the world asking for advice because they are in love with Saudi men, and their families are unaccepting or worried about the relationship with a Saudi. It is important to understand the possibilities of what could happen before you get involved too deeply with a Saudi man. What makes marriage to a Saudi man even more risky is the lack of governmental support if things go sour and the man absconds with the children to his homeland. The issue of taking a 2nd wife always looms overhead and most often results in the breakup of the first marriage, or at the very least, a very profound adverse effect on it. Any woman considering marriage to a Saudi man should think long and hard about it first. Don't be a fool and think that this couldn't happen to you. I have seen it happen too many times here in Saudi Arabia - and there is absolutely no guarantee that you are immune.
