Social media divorce dismays Omani imam

MUSCAT // An imam in the Omani capital’s main mosque spoke out yesterday against the trend among younger couples divorcing through social media. Such divorces are against the principles of Islamic law, Sheikh Yusuf Al Hamdani said in his sermon at the Central mosque.

Marriage in Islam is a serious commitment that binds two lives into one and cannot be annulled by tapping quick messages on social media, he said. “Young people in Oman now divorce each other by sending messages using their phones. It is against Islamic principles to use this method to end a marriage. They should not be in a hurry to go separate ways,” Sheikh Yusuf said.

“Social media is not a solution to any of their problems. They have to go back to the basics of Islam to find ways to stay married.” Muslims – both men and women – can notify their spouse of their intention to divorce either verbally or in a written message. Unlike some Muslim societies there is not even a specific word or phrase that must be used. Court approval is not required unless one of the partners launched legal proceedings to contest the divorce.

While there are no statistics on how many divorces in Oman were initiated through social media, about a third of those being contested in the courts were issued in this way, according to the records of the Sharia court.

“The popular one is WhatsApp – couples use it as the favourite channel to tell each other they need to end their marriage. They find it easy that way to prevent emotional scenes or a fight,” said Asma Al Khalidi, a marriage counsellor.

The divorce rate in Oman is 1.6 per 1,000 couples, according to the ministry of awqaf and religious affairs.

Divorces among young people between the ages of 25 and 35 make up about 60 per cent of the total number.

The rate of divorce in Oman increased by 3 per cent last year compared to 2015, according to the records of the ministry. But it gave no specific reasons for the rise in divorce.

There were 3,788 divorces in Oman last year.