Doha March 10: Qataris do not marry at the right age not because of expensive dowry but of a shift in their priorities caused by the changing society, says an expert.
“Expensive dowry is not the main reason for marriage delays among Qatari men and women since Qataris are rich and can afford,” Dr Abdulhamid Al Ansari, dean of College of Shariah at Qatar University told a local Arabic daily.
There appears to be a trend in the society in which Qataris want to get established first in life before getting married and in the case of women, they want first to finish higher education, Dr Al Ansari told Al Raya daily.
“Such social change is making the delay as marriage, for them is not their priority,” he said, adding many young Qataris don’t want to get married because they don’t want to take responsibility early.
He said the Qatari society has become a mixed culture with intermarriages as Qataris prefer to marry other nationalities.
“They marry foreigners and other Arab nationalities not for financial reasons but because the Qatari society has been mixed and the youth establish relationships with other nationalities early,” he added.
Qatari society, however, does not give freedom for girls to marry other nationalities, he said. Sheikh Ahmad Abu Hainin shared a similar view saying dowry in Qatar which is between QR100,000 to QR300,000 is not much for Qataris. “Dowry is not expensive. What is really expensive is the cost of the wedding because they get married in expensive hotels,” he said.
Dr Mohammad Hassan Al Muraikhi, imam of a masjid, however, claimed dowries in Qatar are in fact expensive and hindering many Qataris from getting married.
“This is one reason why Qataris are marrying foreigners. For some families dowry is one of the conditions for marriage and unfortunately this leaves many Qatari girls unmarried,” he said.
For some families, he said, expensive dowry has become a source of pride and a means to compete with other families.
Source:
Qatar Chronicle
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