'Misyar' marriage is one of the key reason for the surge in divorce rates in Saudi, says scholar. STOCK PHOTO
These crash courses for couples are intended to reverse the steady rise in the number of divorces.
Mohammed bin Awad al Harthi, a family affairs adviser and member of a marriage reconciliation committee in the Western town of Taif, said divorce rates in Saudi Arabia reached their highest levels with four divorces every 10 marriages in 2014.
He told a local newspaper that newly-wed couples accounted for most of the divorces for many reasons including hasty marriages.
“We should all know that divorce cases in Saudi Arabia have reached alarming levels which are increasing every year,” he said.
“What we need to do is to copy the Malaysian experience, which involves organising ‘marriage licence’ crash courses for couples. These courses were introduced in 2002 after divorces reached 32 per cent in Malaysia. In 2004, the rate was cut to only seven per cent thanks to these courses," he explained.
Al Harthi said the Saudi government too should introduce such courses on a compulsory basis and to link marriage contracts to the couple's agreement, whereby they would have to attend the courses.
Read: Blaming women for divorce in the name of Islam
“We believe that it is time to copy the Malaysian experience as there is no other alternative. This will largely contribute to curtailing divorces and strengthen our society. As we all know, families with strong bonds and relations are the pillars of strong, create and productive nations," he said.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, are believed to have the highest divorce rates in the world.
In 2014 alone, official data showed that there were more than 33,900 divorce cases in the Kingdom, nearly triple the number of marriages and much higher than the number of divorces in 2013.
Read: Divorce rates: Beaten women most likely to boot husbands
Saudi's news network 'al Arabiya' in a recent report quoted a scholar as saying 'Misyar' marriage is one of the key reason for the surge in divorce rates.
A Misyar contract is a marriage contract where couples can live separately but get together regularly, often for sexual relations. Though it is allowed in Saudi Arabia under Sunni Islam, this practice is not popular with many.
Women lose nearly all their rights in a Misyar marriage and nearly 80 per cent of Misyar relationships end in divorce.
“Misyar is the main factor. This is because when the man’s first wife discovers that her husband married another woman under Misyar contract, he will feel danger and this will prompt him to divorce the second wife easily," he said.
Misyar is seen as a temporary marriage and that is why divorce rates have increased in the Kingdom,” it quoted Sheikh Mohammed al Falaj, a family affair consultant, as saying.
Many have expressed their views on divorce in Saudi Arabia across social media. Here are some opinions as to why divorce rates in Saudi Arabia are on the rise.
https://twitter.com/PaulWilko657/status/536444494573744128
#divorce -- Saudi- Spiraling divorce rates face govt scrutiny http://t.co/rBweUo8PKW
— Richard Nilsen (@weddedwisdom) December 11, 2014
I'm not surprised that the divorce rates in Saudi Arabia is rising now considering how they arrange marriages without dating.
— Lincoln Har'do 🇳🇬 (@LincolnHardo) February 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/Juliet777777/status/528979238305542144
In Saudi Arabia, #divorce rates are skyrocketing. According to Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi, an average of 82 cases per… http://t.co/xJhdYmYDru
— Trouble Marriage (@troublemarriage) November 21, 2014
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ