Ramadan leads to rash divorces, top judge says

The head of Palestinian Islamic courts yesterday told judges not to grant divorces over Ramadan, fearing the month-long fast could spark rash words that could be regretted.

Judge Mahmud Habash said he based his ruling on “the experience of previous years” when he found that the dawn-to-dusk fast and ban on cigarettes, which began on Saturday, led to frayed tempers. “Some, because they have not eaten and not smoked, create problems” in their marriages, he said, and they can make “quick and ill-considered decisions”.