Saudi woman ordered by judge to divorce husband due to her 'superior origin'

Maha al-Tamini is refusing the court order to separate

The case has been referred to the Saudi Court of Cessation for a final ruling

A Saudi judge has reportedly upheld a ruling forcing a woman to divorce her husband because of her “superior origin”.

The initial decision was made in April when Maha al-Tamimi was eight-months pregnant. But following a prolonged legal battle, a judge in Al-Ayina Court in Riyadh upheld the verdict.

Mrs al-Tamimi claims her uncles filed a lawsuit demanding she divorce because they doubted her husband’s lineage.

According to a translation by Emirates 24/7 News, she said: “My uncles claimed in court that I married against my father’s wish… but their real reason is that they believe my husband and I do not have compatible family origins.

“I appeal for the Monarch to intervene to save me and my baby.”

The court was told that she had failed to gain her father’s consent to the marriage, but Mrs al-Tamimi claims he no longer lives with the family after taking a second wife.

She said her older brother had instead given permission for the marriage.

Her husband, named by Okaz newspaper as a soldier called Ali Al-Qarni, claimed the father had already been convicted for mistreating his wife.

The case has been referred to the Saudi Court of Cessation for a final ruling on whether the divorce should be upheld.

According to Okaz, Mrs al-Tamimi, who has now given birth to a daugher, categorically refuses to separate from her husband or return to her family.

She previously pleaded with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz to intervene in the matter in a video that went viral in Saudi Arabia.