Debunking myths: the whole truth about love, wedding and family in the Arab Emirates

Everyone has heard about the untold wealth of Arab sheikhs. But did you know that the greatest treasure for an Arab is his family? An Arab woman is the keeper of the family hearth. She is highly respected by men. And the more children there are in the family, the happier a woman is considered. Let's see how an ordinary family lives in the UAE.

Facts about dating

A potential bride has the right to refuse an offer if she does not like the groom in some way. But still, the decision to marry is primarily made by the groom's family.

Few Arab women marry Europeans, because for marrying an infidel they can simply be expelled from the country forever. But men from the UAE sometimes marry European girls, but the marriage will be beneficial only to the husband. A woman in such a marriage union does not receive citizenship, and when divorced, the children always remain with their father.

Wedding Facts

A marriage contract is a mandatory element of an Arab wedding. Instead of the bride, two of her relatives sign the contract.

The wedding celebration must take place within a year after the signing of the contract. Until the wedding, the groom can visit his future wife only in the presence of her relatives. Kalym, which is paid for the bride by the groom's family, can reach several hundred thousand dollars, so it is very profitable to give birth to girls.

An Arab wedding is a grand spectacle. The treats are varied and there is a constant change of dishes. Thus, the groom's family shows the guests their hospitality and prosperity. Since Islam prohibits the consumption of alcohol, the strongest drink on the table is coffee. However, this does not prevent the celebrations from continuing for seven days.

Facts about family life

The opinion about discrimination against Arab women in fact turns out to be somewhat exaggerated. Of course, in any Arab family, the wife is obliged to obey her husband, but she always participates in solving important issues.

Do not believe that married women in the Emirates live like in prison. In fact, after getting married, an Arab beauty can wear anything: mini skirts, jeans, and shorts. Residents of the UAE are generally great fashionistas, they can go shopping for hours, choosing modern outfits and fabrics. But when they go outside, they are obliged to put on a black silk cape from above to their feet, and cover their face with a black handkerchief. Strangers can see the eyes, fingers and feet. All the rest of the beauty is only for the husband.

But today black capes are rare on the streets. You may well see an Arab woman in jeans and a tunic. The only thing that is still adhered to is the covering of the head. Therefore, you are unlikely to meet a woman without a scarf on her head.

Women in the Emirates receive a very decent education. They have access to the best universities in the world, but most often their scholarship remains unclaimed. A married woman is unlikely to be able to work: either her husband forbids her, or she does not want to, because she is too busy with constant pregnancies and childbirth. However, modern youth is more progressive in this regard. Many girls who have been educated in Europe stay there to build a career.

And another curious fact: Arab families who live outside the Muslim world rarely seriously adhere to age-old traditions.

Facts about Divorce

For a long time, wanting to get divorced, an Arab husband could at any time tell his wife: "Talak, talak, talak" (repeat "leave" three times). After that, the woman had to immediately get out of his house, taking with her only what she was wearing. Therefore, today they (just in case, of course) carry all the donated gold on themselves.

Men give this precious metal instead of flowers. The more such a gift weighs, the stronger the husband's love. No wonder the local saying says that a woman without gold is naked.

A woman in the UAE can also file for divorce, but only in two cases:

Facts about Polygamy

Despite the fact that Islam allows you to have up to four wives, not every Arab today can afford polygamy. The main reason for such forced monogamy is the banal lack of funds for the maintenance of the harem. Therefore, the classic family of the UAE, consisting of one husband, several wives and concubines— is the privilege of sheikhs and very wealthy people.

In general, marriage with a rich Emirati is a pleasant thing in many ways, however, only as long as it lasts. By law, each wife has her own separate house, generous maintenance and the right to an equal share of attention from her husband.

A clear schedule of visits is established for each woman, a separate villa is built for the new wife (not cheaper, but not more expensive than the previous one), her husband's finances are distributed in equal proportions, and in general, everyone in the family should live in peace and harmony. If something went wrong— it's not the wives' problem, but the husband's, who failed to resolve the disputed situations in time.

So, as we can see, traditions and kinship support in the Arab family have incredible power. So, if a woman is widowed, her husband's brother marries her to provide for her and protect her.