UAE Nationals ~ HELP!!!

[denny01 0]

THe US government issues K1 visa's. And there are no restrictions listed for K1 which would deny you marrying a non-muslim.

I do not see how the United Arab Emirates can prevent you from receiving a US government issued visa.

Ah.....was told since its against the law for a non Muslim to marry a Muslim woman that it would be against the law for the embassy there to issue a K1 visa for marriage here. I know it seems weird......but my fiancee told me her friend was saying that she would not be let out of the country on a K1 visa. She wants to talk to a UAE national that has received a K1 visa.

Well, this should be directed to the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Denny's fiancee has good cause for concern. He is a non-Muslim man attempting to sponsor a K1 visa for a Muslim woman to the US for marriage. There is no way he could marry in her country without his conversion to Islam, and they would also need the consent of her male guardian, unless she appealed to the Sharia court for an exception. The UAE is a tribal Muslim country, and its interpretation of the Sharia, which is incorporated into law, does not allow Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, requires consent of a male guardian for an unwed Muslima to marry. Travel overseas requires the permission of a male guardian. All are facts the US State Dept is not unaware of, and, no doubt, takes into consideration as a matter of diplomacy:

There is broad legal and societal discrimination against women. Islamic law governs the personal status of women, but civil law governs their activities in the civic and commercial sphere. Muslim women are forbidden to marry non-Muslims (see section 1.f.). Custom dictates that a husband can bar his wife, minor children, and adult unmarried daughters from leaving the country. All male citizens can pass citizenship to their children at birth, whereas female citizens married to noncitizens do not automatically pass citizenship to their children (see section 2.d.). The government was generally not effective in enforcing women's rights and protecting women from abuse. There is no data regarding the number of abusers who were prosecuted, convicted, or punished.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78865.htm

Law of Personal Status

The personal status of women in the UAE is determined by Islamic law. The UAE’s interpretation of Islam prohibits Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men. Muslim men are allowed to marry non-Muslim women. In 1998, 28 percent of marriages in the UAE were between Muslim men and foreign women. Muslim women are prohibited from leaving the country without permission from a male guardian.

http://gender.pogar.org/countries/country.asp?cid=21

Diplomacy is not a small matter in granting visas to foreign nationals in ways that violate the laws of the country that the embassy serves. Nor are the ramifications of what benefits the female Muslim citizen would give up by marrying out. As it is, UAE women who marry out lose many of the citizenship rights, and are not allowed to sponsor their husbands or children for citizenship, whereas a male Emirati can.

Countries, not even the US, hands out visas without regard to the laws of the country they are in. They are there as guests and international incidents are to be avoided.

[denny01 0]

Its almost 2 years to the day that we started chattin...have visited Dubai twice......and now this ? I feel sick !

[denny01 0]

Is there any UAE nationals that have done a K1 visa without parental support ?

[doodlebugg 10]

Is there any UAE nationals that have done a K1 visa without parental support ?

you don't have the support of her parents?

[denny01 0]

no... i dont.......they do not know.....and she told me that if they found out, I would never hear from her again !

[doodlebugg 10]

no... i dont.......they do not know.....and she told me that if they found out, I would never hear from her again !

Against ALL of my better judgement I'm gonna be a buddinski here and tell you that marrying ANY woman, be them Christian, Muslim, Jewish, WHATEVER, without her parent's consent means you are embarking on an EXTREMELY hard journey......especially if she is young which I think is the case from what you've said so far. If she's older then maybe you'll have a chance but a woman's bond especially with her mother is extremely hard to break. Especially when she starts to have children.

Ok I'll shut up now. I'm riled up about something else today and don't wanna take it out on you. Good luck!

[caybee 21]

no... i dont.......they do not know.....and she told me that if they found out, I would never hear from her again !

Against ALL of my better judgement I'm gonna be a buddinski here and tell you that marrying ANY woman, be them Christian, Muslim, Jewish, WHATEVER, without her parent's consent means you are embarking on an EXTREMELY hard journey......especially if she is young which I think is the case from what you've said so far. If she's older then maybe you'll have a chance but a woman's bond especially with her mother is extremely hard to break. Especially when she starts to have children.

Ok I'll shut up now. I'm riled up about something else today and don't wanna take it out on you. Good luck!

Sorry to continue with the negativity, but are there not some situations where the woman might be in physical danger for pursuing this kind of relationship against the wishes of her parents? This situation appears very bleak to me.

[♥JP♥ 5]

no... i dont.......they do not know.....and she told me that if they found out, I would never hear from her again !

I think what you are trying to do is going to be VERY difficult. Unless you convert to Islam and get her parents consent to marry and travel, then I'm afraid your chances of making this work are slim. In order for you to do the K-1 you would have to have some kind of contract signed in a mosque (Nikka?) to prove to the embassy that you are engaged.

Also its highly likely that her parents are the keepers or her passport if she even has one, I don't know how she plans on getting that from them.

I hate to say this because its all wrong, but the only way I see this working is if you convert to Islam and come clean wiht her parents and gain their acceptance. These are completely wrong reasons for conveting but I think most Muslim counties don't allow a muslim woman to marry a non-muslim man. The short version of the belief behind this is that the father controls what religion the children will be. If the father is christian, it is believed the children will be too. This is why its much easier for the muslim man to marry a non-muslim woman.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I think you should talk to you fiance and come up with a different plan.

[denny01 0]

Its ok.....sigh.....that was a big problem for us months ago.....and we finally had it worked out......and she was ready to come here and get married.....despite the age difference ( 27 yrs ) and the homesickness.....and it helped that her mother was just bein plain nasty to her..........and i realized the risk....but love makes ya crazy......but hey....it seems the UAE government is looking out for us and keeping us from makin a mistake !

My thoughts were......even if she lived down the street.....was white and same age......still wouldnt guarantee it would work.....dont 2 out of 3 marriages fail anyway ?

12 million illegals in this country.....but they dont seem to want to let in a beautiful, intelligent fun loving arab. USCIS be not proud !

[denny01 0]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I think you should talk to you fiance and come up with a different plan.

Different plan ? Please tell me what that might be !!! I would love to convert to Islam .....I would love to learn Arabic and speak it fluently....I would love to move to Dubai......she told me none of those things would matter to them.........they want her to marry a rich arab....bottom line !! Just tell me how to get her out of the UAE.....thats all we want to know.....thats all we care bout !..

ha.......k......am gettin ticked now.......I cant believe that no lawyer has not told us that we cant do this.....

Oh.....and by the way.....she DOES have her passport......and she snuck into her mom's bedroom to get her birth certificate.....she wants to do this.....she is scared.....but she loves me and wants to be with me......why cant they just let us alone......for goodness sakes she is 21.

Edited February 22, 2008 by denny01

[Zee Bee 61]

Its ok.....sigh.....that was a big problem for us months ago.....and we finally had it worked out......and she was ready to come here and get married.....despite the age difference ( 27 yrs ) and the homesickness.....and it helped that her mother was just bein plain nasty to her..........and i realized the risk....but love makes ya crazy......but hey....it seems the UAE government is looking out for us and keeping us from makin a mistake !

My thoughts were......even if she lived down the street.....was white and same age......still wouldnt guarantee it would work.....dont 2 out of 3 marriages fail anyway ?

12 million illegals in this country.....but they dont seem to want to let in a beautiful, intelligent fun loving arab. USCIS be not proud !

I feel your frustration but this has nothing to do with USCIS. I think it more has to do with the laws of the UAE. JP has it exactly right in the obstacles you would face.

[♥JP♥ 5]

Different plan ? Please tell me what that might be !!! I would love to convert to Islam .....I would love to learn Arabic and speak it fluently....I would love to move to Dubai......she told me none of those things would matter to them.........they want her to marry a rich arab....bottom line !! Just tell me how to get her out of the UAE.....thats all we want to know.....thats all we care bout !..

ha.......k......am gettin ticked now.......I cant believe that no lawyer has not told us that we cant do this.....

Well unless you have a laywer that is familiar with Sharia law than I am not surprised, your problem is not with the US it is with the UAE. Secondly, if she believes her parents will flat out not accept it then she is probebly right. I don't know of anyway you can smuggle her out of the UAE. Like I said earlier, the only other plan that comes to my mind is for you to convert to Islam and GAIN their acceptance. Otherwise I don't really see how this will work.

Since you can't marry her then you have no way to legally get her out of there. The only way for her to leave is with the consent of her father or brother. I'm really sorry this is happening to you but wasn't she aware of the laws in her country? Even with a K-1 you will have to prove that you went to a mosque and got the Nikkah which they will not give you without the consent of her father.

Why don't you talk to her some more? I know she thinks its a hopeless case, most of us arab girls always think our parents won't accept anything but sometimes they will. But whatever you do, please don't try getting her out of there illegally, you will put her life and your life in great danger.

[denny01 0]

sigh....if this is all true.......then no.....we are done.....our dreams are shattered.....

her friend told her this stuff last week and she was heart broken till i cheered her up and showed her what i thought was evidence to the contrary. All I did was prolong the inevitable.......my only hope is to talk to the UAE embassy in Washington DC again......

I asked her to talk to her mother bout coming here on a student visa......and it took her weeks for her to get the courage up to even say anything. She is terrified of her parents....I helped her get a postal box when I was there in Oct 2007.......she has yet to pick up mail i sent back in January and her Valentine's card is still sittin there. Ha .....wish I had a tenth this much control over my child.......and trust me.....he would hate me alot less if i did !

LOL ~ I guess this is why no UAE nationals have contacted me yet....

Edited February 22, 2008 by denny01

[desert_fox 32]

get married in some other country..apply for a K3 visa...the interview wil be held in the country where you married......problem solved.

good-bye to narrow religious views, narrow parent views, and she can be an adult and make her own decisions....good luck.

[denny01 0]

get married in some other country..apply for a K3 visa...the interview wil be held in the country where you married......problem solved.

good-bye to narrow religious views, narrow parent views, and she can be an adult and make her own decisions....good luck.

Thank you....that looks like we are going to have to do that.....but there arent a whole lot of countries that it will work for and now am not even sure she can get out of the country to do that. A lawyer suggested that....but when i showed some interest in it.....he started to talk bout residency and one even started talking bout citizenship of that country....not to mention k3 involves more paperwork.

but yes....if i can get her out of UAE, I will try that......she wants to go to Lebanon.....anyone want to give me some advice on that country ?