Sep 1 (Emirates 247): A Saudi father has set a soldier’s helmet as dowry for the marriage of his daughter in recognition of the army’s role in protecting the Gulf Kingdom.
Ahmed Bashen, a university researcher in the southern province of Jazan, made the offer on his Twitter page amidst an intensifying public debate on soaring dowries in the largest Arab economy and the world’s dominant oil exporter.
“Let all know that I have fixed a helmet a soldier at the border or a martyr as dowry for my daughter,” he said, according to 'Sada' newspaper.
Dowries, money paid by a groom to his bride in line with Islamic law, have sharply increased in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries since oil was discovered decades ago. Some dowries and wedding expenses have exceeded $one million.