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Article: Keep it in the family. (the United Arab Emirates' program that encourages Arab men to marry Arab women) (Mosaic)
- Article from:
- The Middle East
- Article date:
- July 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 IC Publications Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The UAE is helping to cut wedding costs and offering other financial incentives to encourage more Arab men to marry Arab women. The oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s brought an influx of foreigners and the number of exclusively Arab marriage declined. Now the government is trying to preserve Arab social values and cultural traditions.
The national anthem is played under a full moon in a public park. Forty bridegrooms are celebrating their wedding under government patronage. A Marriage Fund now gives substantial grants to eligible young bachelors, provided they vow to tie the knot with local Arab girls.
All this is part of a spirited campaign in the UAE to keep ...