Divorce rate getting worrying, lawyer says

SHAH ALAM - An increasing trend of divorce among Muslim couples every year is getting more worrying.

Syarie lawyer Nurul Syafawani Rahim said statistics from Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia recorded a total of 45,420 divorce cases among Muslims registered nationwide in 2021.

"The highest divorce number occurs among people aged between 30 to 34 years old.

"There is a tendency for couples now to take the easy way by breaking the marriage bond without going through the ‘sulh’ process.

"They assumed the experience of being bonded through marriage is burdensome, especially in tight financial situation post Covid-19 pandemic," she told Sinar on Friday.

She explained the main factor that contributed to the increasing divorce rate was financial issue.

Syafawani said failure to manage family finance causes the weight of debt to get heavier as well as induces stress to the family members.

"The second contributing factor is emotional stress and loss of self-control. This series of stress will lead to violence and physical and emotional abuse of the partner.

"The third factor is the couple is mismatched or it is a marriage between individuals of different social classes.

“Partners' distinct background differences can be the cause of misunderstandings," she elaborated.

She added that marriage is a contract allowed by Islamic law to celebrate human instinct and its main objective is for the couple's enjoyment.

She said the situation needed understanding from both partners.

"But due to ignorance in household knowledge, the partner's small mistake and weakness become fuel that fires hostility among the couple.

"As a result, the declaration of ‘talak’ and divorce becomes a daily speech that can't be defended anymore and as consequences, divorce happens while the mind is not rational," she said.

Syafawani also advised every couple to support their partner if they knew their partner suffered from stress or was undergoing problems.

Moreover, she added other solutions that could be made by providing a more comprehensive marriage course such as financial management and marriage education to married couples every three to five years.

"With this method, spouses gain the idea and insights in confronting the crisis they faced," she added.