THE National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) abdicated its role as the champion of individual human rights in the Kingdom when it washed its hands of the case of a man hitting a brick wall in getting his foreign wife's name added to his family registry card. The NSHR has refused to get involved in “legal negotiations” to officially document the Saudi man's marriage to an Arab woman from another country because he mistakenly violated the law by not getting prior official approval of the marriage and assuming that he could secure approval after the fact. The man brought his wife to the Kingdom on an Umrah visa which has since expired. The couple has a child which has been registered on the man's family card even though the mother has not been added. In refusing to get involved in a clear-cut violation of Saudi law – the NSHR says it is committed to guaranteeing that existing law is upheld – the NSHR has decided on a correct course of behavior. That, however, does not excuse it for not taking up the human rights angle of the entire concept of government-approved marriages. Interpersonal relationships are the exclusive concern of those involved except where clear-cut moral violations or physical or mental abuse is present. It is, indeed, the responsibility of the government to ensure that anyone admitted to the Kingdom is of sufficient moral character to be welcomed here. That goes without saying. But it is difficult to understand how the government has a role in determining the legitimacy of a citizen's marriage beyond insisting that the proper paperwork be filed with the appropriate civil body. It is a basic human right, nevertheless, to choose one's own spouse regardless of her nationality and that she be allowed to reside with her spouse in his land of origin. The NSHR plays an important role in the national life and the modernization of Saudi Arabia and we should all be pleased about that. The more it expands its role, however, the stronger both it and the Kingdom will become. __
