The dowry system is different according to the region and religion. According to Islam , the dowry or 'meher' should be given to the bride by the groom. and it is also specifically stated that it is the sole property of the bride alone, not the bride's father no the the groom's . When we compare this system to vat is happening in our country ,we women tend to think, hey this is a better system,let the men pay up . But in reality what happens is that the grooms find it hard to meet the brides' expectations (in the arab regions) . But the good thing is that if the couple head for divorce later on,the dowry or 'meher' given to the bride at the time of marriage is considered as a part of her settlement.She need not return it. Actually the meher can be anything, its not even necessary that it should be jewellery,the groom can promise to teach the bride the 'Quraan' and even that vil b considered meher. But sadly this has changed a lot these days. In the middle east the grooms find it difficult to meet the brides expectatns and in our India, the brides parents find it difficult to meet the grooms parents' expectns. Either way it is a financial burden on someone or the other. Even though laws exist in India to overcome this hurdle, we still hear various incidents related to this. No matter how much India goes forward in the field of technology, We as citizens of India should try to avoid this practice. And its not onlky upto the parents of girls, parents of boys should also remember that they are not selling their son to the highest bidder!!
ps: sry got carried away....was in the serious mood :)