BETWEEN 2004 and 2014 there was one divorce for every five Iraqi marriages. This is low by Western standards, but many Iraqis call it a crisis. Cases have been growing steadily since the compilation of proper statistics began in the year after the country’s invasion by American-led forces and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The number of divorces exceeded 4,000 in both June and July this year—almost double the monthly average in 2004, according to the government. “The judiciary is working hard in order to prevent the occurrence of divorce cases because of its negative effects on society,” said Saad al-Ibrahimi, a judge.
Some blame the spread of a stricter Islam over the past decade. Sex outside marriage has become even more taboo than it was. So more people are getting married simply in order to have sex. Under Muslim law, such marriages can easily be dissolved. (Though many will not have been recorded in the first place, muddying the data.) More recently, the rise of Islamic State has deepened sectarian divisions, which may have led to the break-up of some of the country’s many Sunni-Shia marriages. Poverty, too, plays a role. “A large number of divorces these days...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2cnci5S
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