DUBAI: The Grand Mufti of Dubai has called for a curb on marriages between locals and foreigners as the price of marrying native brides has risen to more than $500,000.

The number of Emiratis marrying foreigners has risen 10 per cent in the past four years, according to recent figures.

Officials and religious leaders blame the rising cost of dowries and wedding ceremonies for persuading local men to seek foreign wives, who cost less to marry.

The Grand Mufti, Dr Ahmad al-Haddad, the emirate's most senior Islamic scholar, wants to restrict foreign marriages to allow only Muslim Arab spouses. For a man, it would have to be his first and only wife.

''In Islam, choosing your life partner is a personal freedom,'' he said at a gathering in honour of Ramadan. ''But personal freedoms can be restricted for the benefit of the public interest.''