Posted on 12/01/2004 12:52:10 AM PST by kattracks
The forbidden marriage between a handsome young Marine and a gorgeous Arab princess which sparked headlines and a splashy TV movie has crashed and burned.Jason Johnson made headlines in 1999 when he smuggled his ravishing teen lover out of the island nation of Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf, and whisked her to Las Vegas for a quickie wedding.
But after their love was feted on "Oprah" and made into a TV movie, the fairytale romance turned to a nightmare.
The groom got booted from the military, the bride narrowly avoided being blown away by a hit man and she then dumped him for the nonstop parties and round-the-clock nightclubs along the Vegas Strip, he said.
Two weeks ago, the two filed for divorce.
[snip]
Johnson was a Marine stationed in Bahrain when he fell for Meriam al-Khalifa, a ravishing teen princess who was part of her island nation's royal family.
He was 23, a Mormon, she 19, a Muslim, and their love had to remain secret.
Johnson sneaked his sweetie back to America aboard a military plane by disguising her with a flannel shirt, Yankees cap and a fake military ID.
[snip]
Johnson was demoted for his bride-smuggling plot and later discharged under the condition he never try to re-enlist.
Meriam's family was furious their daughter, whom they had set for an arranged marriage, wed a Christian.
The FBI foiled an assassination plot against Meriam by intercepting a Syrian national who said he was paid $500,000 by a source he didn't name to kill her.
As tensions mounted, Meriam threw herself into the Vegas nightlife, Johnson said. Last year, she walked out on him.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
As the Frecnh would say: "quel surprise" Non!
Photo
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Jul-18-Tue-2000/photos/princess.jpg
Not ravishing in my book, either...
Not a surprise divorce, either.
I just did. That's some nose on her!
I'm guessin' she wasn't accustomed to living in the trailer park style.
How did a blind Marine ever qualify with his rifle?
They give the marksmanship badge to the guide dog. 1 bark=1 click of elevation, high-pithched yips for windage.
Semper Fi, BTW.
The actress in the movie was hot... the real thing...NOT
She needs a nose job!
Sounds like a never ending t.v. reality show........
The "princess" should go home to daddy and beg him for a nose job! What a hosehound.
I'm currently in Bahrain and just learning about this island nation. Apparently, the "royal" family is quite large--about 4,000 "royals" among a nation of 600,000. And the royals do seem to hold a disproptionate portion of the nation's wealth. So it is no surprise to me that the "princess" dumped her ex-marine current parking-valet husband. It also doesn's surprise me that someone sent a hitman to take her out. I've heard stories here about women who were raped being put in jail (for sex outside of marriage) while the rapists go free. Go figure.
Maybe after staring at a camels ass in the desert for a year.
Man, broad, that's one girl that will never suffer the pain of a sunburned lip. You could shade a couple of kids under that honker.
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