120 court cases a month in JeddahJEDDAH: Umm Muhammad is an elderly lady who filed a case of disobedience at the Summary Court in Jeddah against her son who tried to hit her. The son was sentenced to jail. Umm Muhammad is one of an average 120 mothers and fathers showing up at Jeddah courts filing cases of disobedience against their rebellious sons. The law considers assault on parents a major crime. The rising cases of disobedience have resulted in the Summary Court calling on academics, specialized foundations and civil institutions to study and diagnose the issue before it spreads. The court announced a 20 percent increase in such cases this year, saying that one judge's office received 14 cases filed by fathers against sons, accusing them of disobedience, verbal assault and attempting to beat them. The rate of disobedience cases per judge at the Summary and Juvenile courts in Jeddah is seven cases a month. The average number of cases is 120. These numbers are considered astonishing because these cases are taking place in the land of the Two Holy Mosques and within an Islamic society where the young are educated at schools, mosques and in the media about the rights of parents and the grave results of disobeying them. Which means there is some kind of flaw in the nature of the message or the way it is being conveyed. Is the issue now a phenomenon? Is the rate in Jeddah courts similar to other regions in the Kingdom? What is the role of the Islamic Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Education, social affairs departments, Shoura Council, academic bodies, human rights and civil institutions in solving this problem and in conducting studies and research? Does the flaw lie in the means used to convey awareness messages? Dr. Muhammad Al-Moujan, a Summary Court judge, said this year he dealt with one to two cases every week, attributing most of these cases to drug or alcohol addiction, poverty, and unemployment. The latter may make a son a burden for parents who could be suffering financial problems – so he might assault them verbally or physically if they do not respond to his financial demands. Al-Moujan said most parents are assaulted by sons aged between 17 and 30. The reasons for disobedience for most of them, he added, were psychological problems and depression and unemployment, according to their statements. Al-Moujan said judges try to solve such cases by reconciliation; most cases end with the plaintiff – the parent – dropping the case after a verdict is issued. He cited the story of a mother who pardoned her jailed son before last Ramadan so he could fast the holy month with her. “Most cases are of Saudis. Actually, the rate of Saudis in these cases is increasing and we must be alert and deal with the issue before it gets bigger,” Al-Moujan said. Dr. Saleh Aal Al-Sheikh, Head of Riyadh's Summary Court, said the number of cases received by his court is not small but is way less than Jeddah's summary court. “There are disobedience cases but not many. Most involve neglect (neglecting parents) and verbal abuse. They rarely involve beating,” he said. Aal Al-Sheikh said the reasons for these cases include drug use or their desire to be independent, which is often about the wish of a father to have his son always under his wing, resulting in a reaction from the son, he said. Many disobedience cases do not reach the courts. Dr. Ghazi Al-Shammari, Chairman of the Family Committee in the Eastern Province's Emir's Office and a family consultant, said the committee receives an average of four to five cases every month. “When we started the committee at the Emir's Office we were expecting to deal with domestic violence, blackmail and other family cases, but we did not expect to receive so many disobedience cases,” he said. Dr. Ali Al-Maliki, Member of the Reconciliation Committee and a consultant, agreed that it is becoming a serious problem, with a son sometimes murdering a parent. In such cases, he said, members of the committee discuss the problem with the parties, especially the sons. The members try to remind the son of what Allah has ordained about mothers and fathers. Some aggravated cases are referred to relevant authorities to take certain measures. Al-Maliki blamed the media for children increasingly disobeying their parents. The media does not present sound principles of dealing with parents. “Unfortunately the media has become destructive to many of the Ummah's principles,” he said. He also criticized some Khateebs “who have become more occupied with worldly issues and forgotten the most important issue, which is the future of our sons”. Others held responsible by Al-Maliki are teachers.
