Saudi ministry denies project to leak data on potential grooms

The Saudi Interior Ministry on Monday denied circulating reports about a project that allows women to access the health, judicial and security records of potential suitors.

A spokesman told al-Hayat newspaper that such personal data is kept in a controlled system that protects privacy.

These regulations ensure that personal data is not accessible to any party except under certain situations.

The spokesman added that in cases where a judicial order requests access to personal data, a judge is usually sent to where such data is kept, along with security officials.

However, the judge only gets access to data relevant to the case being investigated.

A number of Saudi lawyers said last week that they have refused to leak information about potential grooms, considering it to be not only against Shariah law but also a gross violation of human rights.

Turki Al-Rasheed, a lawyer, said looking at a person’s records and spying on them for no good reason was Islamically wrong. He said: “The past lives of people should be protected.

“They might have committed mistakes during the early years of their life but this should not be revealed to others.”

Bandar al-Bishr, another lawyer and prominent columnist, said the ministry has no right to come out with such a scheme.

He said: “The ministry has no right to leak data on citizens. “Marriage should be kept within its social framework and any attempt to reveal the past life of marriage seekers is against Islam.”

Al-Bishr asked the government to protect the privacy of its citizens and said personal data should not be revealed to anyone.

(with the Saudi Gazette)