Will he stand up for me/us, or am I wasting my time?

[susievo]

I (25f) have been in a relationship with a man (26) for almost a year. We have spoken about marriage, future plans to have children and spend the rest of our lives together.
We met at uni, he's from another country (I don't want to out myself by naming it, but it's in the Middle East). He's here in the UK at the moment, on a student visa.
I love him so much and would give anything for us to get married, have children and all the rest of the stuff he talks about.
Trouble is, when he first told his parents (back home in country of origin), they threatened all kinds of nasty things would happen unless he dumped me... things like being disowned and so on... Just the typical emotional blackmail kind of things, nothing particularly surprising or unusual.
He dumped me at that time (by email) on the say so of his parents but contacted me a couple of days later to apologise, saying it wasn't want he wanted to do but was made to do it. Begged me for a second chance. I agreed but on the condition that he actually stands up for me/us this time, and tell his parents they don't get to decide on his choice of partner/his future etc.
We got back together but he doesn't want his parents knowing we're back together... He went back for a visit to his country for 3 weeks this summer, allegedly to "deal with his parents" - in other words to tell them that he's serious about me and we want to marry.
He returned this week and didn't bring up the subject (despite knowing how anxiously I'd been waiting for him to come back with some results). I eventually raised the subject as breezily as possible, asking if he'd had chance to speak to his parents about "us" during his 3 weeks with them. He went all quiet and sheepish, before saying he "couldn't face it".
Am I right in thinking he's got no intention of standing up to his parents? My friends and family urge me to end it but I just want to ensure all possible avenues are exhausted and explored before closing the door on any future together.
He claims to love me more than life itself (his word) and can't imagine a future without me, but his actions (lack of!) just don't match his words. Am I wasting my time?

Just finish the relationship.

He's beholden to his family and eventually that will ruin the relationship. He's also from a very different culture and will have different views on marriage and child rearing.

This is not going to work.

Yes. Just end it.

Sadly, yes you are.

First post was pretty spot on. He can talk the talk - but he's from a Middle Eastern culture where what his parents/family think and say is paramount. They will not accept his marriage to you - a foreigner - and he will never stand up for you.

There is nothing you can do about this. End the relationship now. He doesn't love you enough to estrange himself from his family and culture and never will. If you do get married, he will not tell them - and will likely return to his home country and marry someone there that his parents have chosen.

It is not typical to have emotional blackmail!

You should end it with him. You need someone who has your back. If he doesn't have yours he won't have your children's.

End it ! he has and never had any intention of telling his parents.

it's all just words.

and one day he will return home, without you. you are not part of his future.