The Middle East, Eternally the Same

From the BBC comes this story:

An Arab country's ambassador to Dubai has had his marriage contract annulled after discovering the bride was cross-eyed and had facial hair.
The woman had worn an Islamic veil, known as the niqab, on the few occasions the couple had met. The envoy, who has not been identified, told a Sharia court her mother had tricked him by showing him pictures of the bride's sister, Gulf News reported.
He only discovered the deception when he lifted the woman's veil to kiss her.

From the Book of Genesis comes this story:

And Jacob said unto Laban: 'Give me my wife, for my days are filled, that I may go in unto her.' And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid. And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban: 'What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?'

It would be a cliche to quote from Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, at this point, wouldn't it?