Egyptian clerics from Al-Azhar institution rally at a mosque in central Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 3, 2015. Egypt’s top Islamic authority has rejected the president’s suggestion for legislation that would invalidate the practice of men verbally divorcing their wives. Al-Azhar’s Council of Grand Clerics says verbal divorce, when appropriately declared by husbands with sound minds, has been an undisputed practice since the days of the 7th century Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
Source: Religion News Service
By Jacob Wirtschafter and Amr El-Tohamy
CAIRO (RNS) – Egypt’s skyrocketing divorce rate has spurred a debate among Muslim religious leaders and government officials about how best to keep families together.
Twenty percent of Egyptians are divorced, according to the government’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, an astounding figure given that 40 percent of the country is younger than 18.
“Money troubles, social incompatibility between spouses, lack of responsibility, drug addiction and the interference of family and friends in married couples’ life are all factors,” said Deputy Health Minister Maysa Shawky.
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Categories: Africa, Egypt, Marriage, Muslim Women's Right, Rights of Women, Secularism, Sharia, Sharia Law, Shariah Law, The Muslim Times, Women, Women Rights, Women's right