Assad continuing to ignore the United Nations' plea for a cessation of the violence and bloodshed in Syria, three Saudi children caught in the crossfire have been denied a return to safety by their heartless father. A reporter from the local newspaper Al-Watan caught up with their anxious mother in the Saudi embassy in Amman, Jordan. Fearing for her children's lives from the brutality of the regime's army, her only hope was to escape to Jordan and then find a way to get her children to Saudi. The two little girls and their brother appeared tired and hungry from the tedious journey, so a compassionate employee from the embassy rushed out to bring them breakfast. Sadness enveloped her voice as she revealed her story. “I am Syrian and I have been divorced for four years from a Saudi man who works as a faculty member in one of the universities in the Kingdom. When we got married, I was only 15 years of age and was the third wife, following a Saudi and a Pakistani woman. We were together for 10 years and we had three children. “Marital problems and differences arose between us and he subsequently divorced me. He sent my children to Syria to live with me. For four years since the divorce, my ex-husband did not inquire about our welfare or send any financial assistance, even though our son has heart problems and needs special medical treatment. “When the unrest escalated in Syria, I was terrified because the sniper of the Syrian army does not spare even young children or elderly women. I contacted my ex-husband in Saudi Arabia and asked him to receive his children in the Kingdom where they would be safe. His answer struck me like a lightning bolt. He said, ‘Your situation is of no concern to me and I have no ties with you'. He changed his mobile number and I have no way to get through to him,” continued Umm Muhammad. She even called her ex-husband's relatives and begged them to convince him to welcome his own children back. They tried to change his mind but he would not relent, so they asked her to not bother them again. With nowhere else to turn, she approached the Saudi embassy in Jordan to help her children seek refuge in their father's country. The Saudi embassy in Amman greeted her amiably, and after comforting and consoling her, they provided accommodation for her and her three young children, Muhammad, Huda, and Monira. Dr. Hamad Al-Hajri, Charge d'Affaires in the Saudi Embassy in Amman, confirmed to the newspaper that the mother has in her possession all the necessary official documents to prove that her three children are indeed the legitimate children of a Saudi father. “These children are Saudi and they have the right to immediately return to their country,” he said. “The authorities in the embassy will do everything in their power to facilitate the process and their travel to the Kingdom and we are here to serve all Saudi nationals. The only obstacle facing this desperate mother is that she is a non-Saudi and cannot enter the Kingdom unless her ex-husband consents. Alternatively, one of their Saudi relatives could apply for a visit visa for her,” said Al-Hajri. In conclusion, Umm Muhammad said, “As long as the children's father refuses to accept them, who will I leave them in the care of? I cannot bear being away from my children and if their father rejects them once again, we will go back to Syria to live or die together.” __
