Saudi Husband Divorces Wife Over Loudspeaker At Shopping Mall

Divorce in Islam (at least for the husband) is as simple as saying "talaq" (I divorce you) up to three times, and it can be for something as insignificant as a wife cooking a meal that hubby doesn't like. Take the Saudi man who was so pissed off that his wife put cheese in his samosas instead of meat that "he beat her up, divorced her and kicked her out."

Then there's this, also out of Saudi Arabia:  A husband was at a mall with his wife and three kids when he wandered off to shop in a men's clothing store.

“When he left that shop, he saw a man giving his wife a note bearing his phone number…she accepted the paper and put it inside her bag,”

“He then used the mall’s loudspeaker to shout divorce words against his wife although she was with her three children.”

A loudspeaker?  That's pretty nasty. 

And equally cold, but not quite as humiliating, is how men in Tajikstan divorce their wives- by text message. But at least texting isn't broadcast over a loudspeaker so that the whole mall, and your kids, can witness the divorce.

Muslims take their 'talaq' so seriously that a man joking with his wife on Skype, and stupidly inquired with Islamic scholars about having done so, was actually forced to go through with the divorce. And, as per Islamic law, the wife would have to marry another man and then divorce him, before she could remarry her husband.

Divorce Islamic Style: Egyptian Divorce Rates Spike With Women's Divorce Law (khula)

There are state laws governing divorce in this country and it can be very complicated, especially with children involved. This is a good thing considering the divorce rates have increased substantially over the past 50 plus years.  And depending on the reasons for the dissolution of a marriage, and the competence of the  lawyers involved, men and women  are treated fairly equally.  Not so for Muslims.  As with most things in Islam, the woman does not fare as well as the man.  If  a Muslim man wants to divorce his wife, he simply has to give talaq and tell her "I divorce you", as long as she's not unclean (i.e. menstruating). There is a three stage process they are supposed  to go through, with a short waiting period in between, but many men out of anger will perform triple talaq without bothering to wait, and the woman is out on the streets. Text-messaging and emailing triple talaq has become so commonplace, some countries like Tajikistan have actually banned it.

Although women are supposed to be allowed to ask for a divorce (khula), it's not quite the same thing.  Unlike men who have very little obligations when they divorce, women are forced to give back everything.  And in countries like Egypt, wives were banned from seeking a divorce until 2000.  Now that it is so easy for both parties to part ways, Egypt's divorce rates have skyrocketed. And the ones suffering the most are the children.


If it's true that divorce cases have increased with the "khula" law, that's a pretty damning indictment against the Egyptian male if so many women are willing to leave their husbands with virtually nothing.
Of course, not only are the women being blamed (as they usually are), fingers are being pointed at the evil West:

According to the statistics presented in the conference, the unconditional divorce law, which allows the woman to end the marriage provided that she waives her financial rights, has contributed to a remarkable hike in divorce rates in Egypt.



With the “khula” law, divorce cases have amounted to 5.4 million and around seven million children ended up in orphanages or in the streets especially after one of the parents or both remarry, said Sameh Mekhlef, head of the Association for the Rescue of the Egyptian family and member of the Egyptian Family coalition.

“We should also steer away from Western values that have a negative effect on the unity of the family and that promote ideas which are strange to our society."

Right.  Islamic values are so much more egalitarian and family friendly.  I think Mekhlef should take a deep, hard look at why women are so willing to leave their husbands if the Muslim life is so perfect.  It has far more to do with the oppression and abuse of women under Islam, than Western values.

Man Joking About 'Talaq' on Skype Has His Marriage Ended By Deoband

There are some pretty stupid edicts in every religion, but 'Talaq' in Islam takes the cake. First of all, being able to divorce your spouse simply by saying 'Talaq' three times is a major joke, and not a laughable one. It's absolutely ludicrous that all it takes to divorce your spouse is one word repeated three times. Talaq, talaq, talaq - and bye-bye wife. But it's even more ridiculous that a man who was joking around with his wife on Skype is now divorced because of this idiotic rule, and no-one will bend those rules for the hapless couple. And what they have to go through to 'remarry' is even more absurd.

An e-savvy Qatar resident learnt this the hard way when he typed talaq thrice while chatting with his wife on Skype. He says he did not mean it but Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband has ruled that his nikah stands terminated.

That's not all. For his careless 'chat', the man can remarry his divorced wife only after halaala, a practice under which the woman has to marry and divorce another man before she can marry her previous husband again.

Deoband's fatwa section — Dar-ul-Ifta (DuI) — recently received a written request from Qatar, seeking a fatwa on a rather amusing situation. The youth stated that he was recently chatting with his wife on Skype when he typed the word 'talaq' three times, though he did not mean it and asked if his nikah was still valid.

Dar-ul-Ifta shot back that the nikah stands terminated. "When you pronounce talaq three times, it means talaq has taken place, and it does not matter whether the woman has reciprocated or not. Your wife has become 'haraam' for you whether you are aware of the commandment of Islam or not. You neither have the right to take her back nor solemnise new nikah with her without a valid 'halaala'. After the completion of 'iddah' (iddat) period, the woman can marry where she wishes except you," the seminary said.

As per senior Islamic scholars, 'halaala' requires the woman to complete her iddat period of 40 days beginning immediately after talaq. During this period she is supposed to stay away from celebrations and socialising.

At the end of iddat, she would have to marry another man who should then divorce her. She will be required to go through another round of iddat only then would she be eligible to marry her "first husband".

Why the stupid young man even bothered to inquire about this, if it was simply a joke, demonstrates how incredibly fearful people are in that religion. Had he not written Deoband (an Islamic school in India), he wouldn't be dealing with the situation he's now in. In some ways it's his own fault for being so scared that he felt compelled to ask about it, but the whole idea of  'Talaq' needs to be addressed. Divorce shouldn't be that simple. And not to make an exception when it was said in jest is just plain cruel.