Trends in Divorce Rising Among Educated Working Class Muslims of Bangladesh
New
Age Islam Special Correspondent
23 December
2020
Islam has
made marriage easy and divorce difficult but Muslims have made marriage
difficult and divorce easy. Due to the easy prevalent mode of Talaq, the rate
of divorce has always been high in Muslim societies. But during the lockdown
period, the rate of domestic violence has increased and in many cases domestic
violence has led to divorce between couples.
A study
published by a Bengali daily of Bangladesh, Prathom Alo (First Light) provides
interesting and thought-provoking information on divorcing trends in
Bangladesh.
The report
reveals that between June and October this year, a total of 5, 970 applications
for divorce were filed only in Dhaka courts. This accounts for 39 divorce
applications per day and one divorce application every 37 seconds.
This rate
of divorce is alarming. The report also says that there was a 30% rise in
divorces in Dhaka in comparison to 2019. This may be due to the economic and
psychological tensions the couples went through during the lockdown. However,
in 2019, the rise in divorce was 17% in comparison to 2018. This indicates that
in recent years the divorce rate has increased in Bangladesh which was further
increased by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Another
worrying factor is that the rate of divorce is higher among the educated
working class whereas it is assumed that educated Muslims are more aware of
their social responsibilities and are more mature. But it seems that educated
and working women are more conscious of their rights and cannot tolerate the
husband's waywardness or aggressive behaviour of the husbands or domestic
violence. The women of poor sections have to put up with violence or
mistreatment by the husbands but educated and self-dependent women have a
bigger ego and clash of ego may be the major factor in these divorces.
Significantly,
among the divorced, many had lived for as long as 15 years together.
The report
is a clear manifestation of the rising trends in divorce among the Muslims of
Bangladesh. The economic and psychological strains of lockdown have only
increased the rate of divorce. The trends in divorcing were already rising even
before the lockdown.
This report
should suffice to open the eyes of the religious establishment. They should
revise their stand on existing divorce laws and educate the Muslims on how to
save and sustain their marriage amidst difficulties and differences.
This report
shows the divorcing trends of Bangladesh. But the situation may not be very
different in other Muslim dominated countries. It's time for some
soul-searching.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/trends-divorce-rising-among-educated/d/123854
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