What Rumors/Stereotypes Did your MENA SO hear about American Spouses from MENA Friends, Family, etc?

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

That is so true, but I'm guessing you are speaking of the wrong culture... IT IS OUR CULTURE, not MENA Culture that DOESN'T GET IT! Every disgusting trait my ex had he learned HERE. (except womanizing... he learned that from his father, back home....)

Had he practiced his faith (Islam), and followed his culture, (MENA) I'd probably be married to him today. He immersed himself TOTALLY in Western (USA) culture and completely turned his back on his faith and the predominant MENA culture. Westernized his name, hid his ethnic background as best he could, denied his heritage when he thought he could, and absorbed every foul habit he came across in this country. That's where he went wrong..

Islam requires men to support their children (particularly daughters) all of their lives.. (not just until 18) if they need help. In Egypt if a woman is divorced and her father dies, she can receive his pension, AT ANY AGE, for the REST of HER LIFE, if she isn't married.

And Islam encourages men to support their ex-wives if they can, and she needs support... (no family to take care of her, etc.) even if there are no children involved. If she is raising their children he is 100% responsible for their support... no pro-rating it based on each parties income, etc.

In a truly Islamic environment (not sure if there is one ANYWHERE on EARTH today), women are not responsible for their food, shelter, clothing, or any other basic necessity from the cradle to the grave. First their father, then husband, sons, brothers, or uncles are 100% responsible for their upkeep. And every penny they earn or inherit is for their OWN pocket. Any money they chose to spend on their children or husband, etc. is considered CHARITY and will be rewarded as such on the Judgement day.

well, I was speaking from my experience with Latin America, where the concept of child support is relatively new, and some men are shocked to find out that some court in Latin America has ordered child support. Sounds familiar...

You do have me confused, and please my ignorance of Islam, but I thought that if there is a divorce, that it is the man who makes the decisions regarding their children and are the custodial parent. The woman is shunned as if she was some kind of bimbo (maybe only in such places as Saudi....I dunno). Islamically children under the age of 7 belong with the mother, after 7 the father can assert his custodial rights, but many do not. However Islamic law is not being upheld (much) by people or governments in any MENA country.

In Egypt women pretty much have total custody until the child is old enough to chose (and many are too submissive to do this) UNLESS she remarries. She also gets the house automatically for her and the children to live in. Support is typically 25% of the husband's income sometimes for a long time and can be much more if there are alot of children. I"ve heard of cases where she got 1 yr of support for each year of marriage. WISE Muslim women take advantage of the MANDATORY PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT (contract) that is the BASIS of Islamic marriage. In this contract the two parties can agree to ANYTHING that isn't against Islam prior to marriage and the contract IS ENFORCEABLE in most MENA countries.

If she remarries he can take the children... unless he's remaried and then the courts typically send the children to his parents. Another reason I am totally shocked over the huge number of MENA men marrying women with children at home... Step-Parenting is considered HIGHLY UNDESIREABLE and all step parents are considered EVIL until proven not.... (I was "interviewed" by my husband's ex before he married me to see if she felt comfortable with me being around the children... I passed..

While it may seem harsh to take children over 7 away from their Mom's, practically speaking this was a "SCORE" for Muslim women, making them more free and LIKELY to be remarried after divorce if she didn't have smart mouthed teenagers living in her home. And FORCED Dads to step up to the plate. Unfortunately children are still used as pawns in MENA countries and divorce is a much bigger stigma on them than it is here. Many children beg their fathers to take a 2nd wife rather than divorce their Mom, and many first wives agree to this to prevent being divorced.

Anyway, child support here in the US is a legal matter, not a religious one although the willingness of a man to pay depends upon his moral character. AMEN

If you had a court order requiring child support, and he had a job, then it would have been possible to collect, and it still isnt too late. Sounds like someone is after him if they turned his name into the passport agency and he cant renew his passport. Oh believe me I did... the State has had an enforcement case open on him for 20+ years. He was self-employed and they still found ways to enforce child support... he even spent some jail time... but these days I guess the USCIS routinely checks some data base to see if there is outstanding child support before reissuing passports.

I hope they get every penny out of him, as I cant tolerate deadbeats dads. Amen Amen... and I don't much care for women who abandon children either..... I have a dear MENA friend who's Western Wife abandoned him and their 2 children when his income took a SUBSTANTIAL dive in the bad economy after 9/11.... she just took off with not a single word for more than 6 months... IN EGYPT....

good luck Thanks!