Saudi Man Shoots Doctor Assisting His Wife in Labor

Reports indicate that a Saudi citizen shot a male doctor who had assisted in the childbirth of his wife, severely injuring him. This incident occurred at the King Fahd Medical Complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The doctor, Mohannad Al-Zubain, is a Jordanian citizen working in Saudi Arabia and has been rendered permanently incapacitated due to the assassination attempt, with bullets hitting his chest. The Jerusalem Post reported on June 7 that the attack on this doctor happened last month and was recently published by the London-based Al-Arabi newspaper. The Saudi man claimed to be visiting the hospital to 'thank' Dr. Al-Zubain, but his true intention was to shoot the doctor in the chest. It is unclear whether the assailant, whose name has not been disclosed by Arab media, has been arrested or not. Additionally, the circumstances leading to this Jordanian doctor's assistance to the woman in labor at this hospital remain unknown. According to Islamic Sharia law in the Saudi monarchy, which is known as the 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,' men and women must be separated in public places, including restaurants and shopping centers, and only family members are allowed to be together. Under Saudi laws, women and girls must also visit hospitals only with male guardians. In 2013, a global report on gender segregation ranked Saudi Arabia 127th among 136 countries surveyed. The gender segregation laws in Saudi Arabia do not apply to non-Muslims. Following the news of the armed attack by the Saudi father on the Jordanian doctor, some Muslim users on Arab social media supported the actions of this new father and praised his honor. According to Arab News, one Saudi female social media user stated that in Islam, even exchanging glances between men and women in public leads to corruption.