Dubai: Saudis are becoming increasingly alarmed over the rate of divorces in the country for trivial reasons.
In one case, a Saudi man divorced his wife after she kept walking ahead of him despite his repeated warnings to keep a step behind him.
In another case, a Saudi man divorced his wife because she forgot to put the sheep head on the main dish presented by her husband as he hosted his friends for dinner, the Saudi daily Al Watan has reported.
The woman said that after the guests left, her angry husband accused her of embarrassing him by forgetting to present the most important part of the dinner to his guests.
In another case, a husband divorced his wife during their honeymoon for wearing foot bangles after he told her not to.
Other cases of divorce for trivial reasons included a wife not heeding her husband’s warning not to visit her family without his permission and a wife speaking with a tone that did not please her husband.
Growing calls are emerging in Saudi Arabia for to provide married couples—especially newlyweds—with counselling services amid a growing trend in the country to divorce for trivial reasons.
Humood Al Shimmari, an official who conducts marriages, said that the past two years has especially seen an uptick in divorces.
He said while there are many reasons for the increase—including evolving views towards traditions and social norms—modern technology was the key culprit.
“Clearly, there is a poor understanding of the concept of marriage,” Al Ghamdi said.
Al Ghamdi said that such attitudes were much more common among young people.
“They are not aware of the true purpose of marriage or of its genuine human, social and religious dimension.”
Lateefa Hamid, a social consultant, said that divorces related to customs and traditions were individual misjudgments and reflected a great level of ignorance.
“Families should educate their young men and women and encourage them to engage in psychological, social and religious awareness and education programmes that will protect future spouses from family problems,” she said.
“Training couples in ways to build a shared life ensures the success of the new couple and family. The more the new couple is aware about the concept of happy marital life, the more successful the marriage is.”
