Sarah's Choice (more on the Sarah Saga saga)

WSJ ^ | 6/21/2003 | WJS Opinion Jornal

[Ready4Freddy]

Will the State Department get away with betraying an American mother?

No American should ever have the awful choice Sarah Saga faced this week from her precarious sanctuary inside the U.S. consulate in Jeddah: your life and freedom, or your children. Yet that's exactly the choice Saudi Arabia is forcing on Ms. Saga, and other American women just like her.

[Ready4Freddy]

Another WSJ comment on the Sarah Saga situation, y'all.

[Ready4Freddy]

Has anyone seen any direct comments by anyone in the admin? State / DOJ, White House?

[netmilsmom]

I did a google search on this lady and the first 10 hits were either about something else, from Free Republic or Blogs. That is really sad.

[Ready4Freddy]

Yeah, I noticed that, too, mom.

Admin - thanks for correcting the spelling of 'Sarah' in the title! :>)

[Admin Moderator]

N/P ;-)

[Roughneck]

This is going againts the flow I imagine.

Sara Saga's mother made a choice to marry an Arab. Arab men are known to, have been known to, kidnap their children. I'm not fond of A-rabs myself, but American women have been marryin' them in spite of what they see with their own eyes!

Our government IS NOT in the custody business. Tax dollars should not be used to clean up a personal/private mistake (we do enough of that already).

To be all "outraged" about it now is just playing on emotion. It is not reasonable to expect the militray to pick up the tab on this - nor should President Bush get involved in what is basically a family squabble (Linda Vester on Fox actually thought that was a good idea).

Too bad about Sara Saga - her MOTHER should have been a lot smarter. . .

[Poohbah]

Stupidity isn't a crime, but the penalty tends to be swift, final, and not subject to appeal.

[darkwing104]

Our government IS NOT in the custody business. Tax dollars should not be used to clean up a personal/private mistake (we do enough of that already).

Exactly

[Roughneck]

"Stupidity isn't a crime, but the penalty tends to be swift, final, and not subject to appeal."

Yep. I know this to be true. I've made plenty of 'em and paid for plenty of 'em.

Some think I'm cold-hearted, but I know the only way a person gets anywhere is taking Responsibility for their own mistakes.

Some are worse than others of course, in this case the woman made more than one mistake. She has custody of little sra here in USA - what does she do? Lets her visit dad in Saudi Arabia..I mean that Lady should not be a whinin' now...

[Cicero]

I have mixed feelings about this. The business of our embassies is to protect American citizens. But when an American marries a Saudi, she is basically deciding to give up these rights and privileges. We consider men and women to be equal, in theory at least. But traditionally when a woman marries a man she assumes the country, loyalties, and responsibilities of her husband, for better or worse. Consider the story of Ruth.

[tsmith130]

"But when an American marries a Saudi, she is basically deciding to give up these rights and privileges."</>

Sarah did not WILLINGLY marry. She was forced to by her father....the one that kidnapped and abused her. Giving up her rights and priviledges was decided FOR her, not by her.

[Arpege92]

Sarah is kidnapped by her father at the age of six and he takes her to his native country, Saudi Arabia. He then forces her into a marriage that was nothing but hell for her and the two children. Her husband beats her and the children on a regular basis and she escapes to the U.S. consulate in Jeddah because she fears for her life and the lives of her children. She wants to leave Saudi Arabia and come to the U.S.........please tell me how Sarah brought all of this on herself. She didn't choose to be kidnapped and she didn't choose to marry an animal.....it was forced upon her.

[Arpege92]

Sarah is kidnapped by her father at the age of six and he takes her to his native country, Saudi Arabia. He then forces her into a marriage that was nothing but hell for her and the two children. Her husband beats her and the children on a regular basis and she escapes to the U.S. consulate in Jeddah because she fears for her life and the lives of her children. She wants to leave Saudi Arabia and come to the U.S.........please tell me how Sarah brought all of this on herself. She didn't choose to be kidnapped and she didn't choose to marry an animal.....it was forced upon her.

[Arpege92]

Sarah is kidnapped by her father at the age of six and he takes her to his native country, Saudi Arabia. He then forces her into a marriage that was nothing but hell for her and the two children. Her husband beats her and the children on a regular basis and she escapes to the U.S. consulate in Jeddah because she fears for her life and the lives of her children. She wants to leave Saudi Arabia and come to the U.S.........please tell me how Sarah brought all of this on herself. She didn't choose to be kidnapped and she didn't choose to marry an animal.....it was forced upon her.

[Ready4Freddy]

Well, I'm not sure we should go global thermonuclear war w/ the Saudis over this, unless we're willing to do it for all abducted kids, when the abduction occurs.

Our Emabassies and Consulates are there (wherever there is :) for, among other things, the protection and support of US citizens, but expecting them to resolve domestic / international kidnapping issues such as this is a bit too much, I think, esp considering that there are other avenues for resolution (that yes, aren't working that well, I admit).

Interesting 2 links here - one, the official State site re: Marriage to Saudis, and another that purports to be the original version of it. Main diff I see is the section titled "The Myth of the Westernized Saudi".

State site

Middle East Quarterly site

[Arpege92]

Sarah is kidnapped by her father at the age of six and he takes her to his native country, Saudi Arabia. He then forces her into a marriage that was nothing but hell for her and the two children. Her husband beats her and the children on a regular basis and she escapes to the U.S. consulate in Jeddah because she fears for her life and the lives of her children. She wants to leave Saudi Arabia and come to the U.S.........please tell me how Sarah brought all of this on herself. She didn't choose to be kidnapped and she didn't choose to marry an animal.....it was forced upon her.

[darkwing104]

Some are worse than others of course, in this case the woman made more than one mistake. She has custody of little sra here in USA - what does she do? Lets her visit dad in Saudi Arabia..I mean that Lady should not be a whinin' now...

I seem to remember this story from several years ago. I believe it invovled the Grand-mother and Mother. Sarah, then a minor, was kidnapped and taken to Suadi years ago. It was shown on 60 Minutes if I recall correctly.

[najida]

It would be soooo nice to see the SD show some backbone and get her out of the country. Just do it....

Let the Saudis whine about it.

[darkwing104]

please tell me how Sarah brought all of this on herself. She didn't choose to be kidnapped and she didn't choose to marry an animal.....it was forced upon her.

I hear you, and I can understand the emotion of your point of view. My gut feeling is, in this case there is something we are not hearing. I don't believe we have all the facts yet. There just might be a personal grudge involved somewhere, from whose side I'am not sure.