“When she (the ex-wife) returned to Jeddah, I asked to see my daughter. She agreed but only on the condition that I could see her for two hours and that her grandfather would accompany her. They treat me as if I’m not her father,” said the man, who asked for his name not to be published.
He added that his parents had not seen their only grandchild, Lana, for over a year. “My parents and I have the right to see her and ensure that she is well. However, they (ex-wife’s family) insist on conditions that are not logically and religiously acceptable,” he told Al-Madinah newspaper.
The father added that when he saw Lana three months after she returned to the Kingdom, he decided to take her to Madinah to see his parents. “She is my daughter. According to the court documents I have, she can come with me,” he said.
He asked how it is possible for a man to kidnap his own daughter. “That is what they claimed. It is untrue. The police stated that I accompanied my daughter and not that I kidnapped her,” he said.
“I did not object to the fact that her mother can have custody of Lana but I prefer to keep her when she goes abroad for studies. I want my child to live in an Islamic atmosphere. I also want to be able to see her every week,” he said.
The father said he has also handed a document issued by a judge in Madinah to the Madinah Governorate that prohibits Lana from traveling abroad. “The governorate has contacted the Ministry of Interior which in turn has contacted the Passport Department which will not allow Lana to travel abroad,” he said.
The Madinah judge also ordered the father to return Lana to his ex-wife and ordered for her to be put in her maternal grandmother’s custody the next time her mother travels abroad for studies. Lana was reported missing over a week ago by her mother who told police that she went missing after meeting her father.