Saudi Man Demands an iPhone 6 as Dowry for Sister's Hand in Marriage

While the popularity of Apple's latest iPhone 6 smartphone cannot be underestimated, a bizarre incident has come to light where a Saudi man has reportedly asked for an iPhone 6 smartphone as dowry from the man who proposed to his sister.

According to reports by local media, the suitor has to present the new iPhone 6 to the brother of the girl getting married as soon as it becomes available in order for the marriage to go ahead.

"The brother's condition supplants the father's request for a simple amount of money as the dowry for the marriage," Kuwaiti daily Al Anba reported last week. It as unclear in which country the soon-to-be bride, groom and brother-in-law reside.

"We have heard of quite a few things, but an iPhone 6 that has not even hit the markets here is a bit bizarre," Saud Ahmad, a Bahraini office clerk, told Gulf News. "We need to promote a culture where marriage should not be used by anyone to get gifts or make profits in any way. If I had been the groom, I would have confronted the brother."

The Gulf News also reports that despite the growing trend of asking for reasonable dowries that are considered simple gifts, some families do ask for exorbitant amounts.

(In comparison: iPhone 6 Plus versus iPhone 6 versus iPhone 5s versus iPhone 5c)

Notably, only the UAE is among the listed countries in the second wave of the Apple iPhone 6 launch. The UAE appears to be the only second-wave country set to get the new iPhone devices on September 27, with at least 17 other countries getting it a day before. These countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Turkey.

Earlier this month, Apple had unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones at an event.