Experts call for making pre-wedding courses mandatory to reduce divorce rates

Published: 8 September 2024

NT Bureau
Doha

A number of religious scholars and family consultants have called for mandatory courses for those about to get married to reduce divorce rates, which have recently risen to an unprecedented level, Al Raya reports.

The suggestion comes in the wake of the latest monthly statistical bulletin for July 2024 issued by the National Planning Council, which shows a huge increase in the number of divorce cases in Qatar.

Data published in the new issue of the Qatar Bulletin – Monthly Statistics issued by the National Planning Council showed a 0.3% decrease in the total number of marriage contracts, while a 93.7% increase was recorded in the total number of divorce certificates, as the total number of marriage contracts reached 348 contracts, while the total number of divorce certificates reached 244 divorce cases.

Experts pointed out that the idea of pre-wedding courses was implemented in Malaysia and it has succeeded in reducing divorce rates.

They told Al Raya that the role of state institutions is essential in preserving the family and society. Mandatory courses and programs will help both parties to know the rights, duties and family values, and the way to deal with life’s challenges by relying on themselves.

Experts and scholars also called for preventing marriage contracts for those who do not attend these courses, as is the case for job applicants.

They stressed the need for state institutions to work together to study the causes and develop effective solutions to stop this social malaise, noting that it is not within the capacity of a single institution to assume this responsibility, because the matter requires concerted efforts in terms of educational curricula, lessons, Friday sermons, rehabilitation courses, media programmes and social awareness.

They explained that the most prominent causes of divorce are poor choice, lack of dialogue between spouses, predominance of competitiveness, women working and being preoccupied with their family role, the spread of feminism, influence of social media, and family interference in the couple’s problems.

They stressed the need to educate young men and women who are about to get married about the rights and duties that fall on each of them, and how to resolve their differences without the interference of external parties so that married life can continue.

“Problems between spouses are always solved within the home and family, because revealing problems to family and friends increases the severity of the problems and hinders a solution,” Dr. Ayesh Al-Qahtani, Islamic preacher and family consultant, told the Arabic daily.

He called on every individual not to interfere in a problem between spouses, and that if he is asked to intervene, he must fear God, and a judge from his family and a judge from her family should intervene, provided that he is a virtuous and wise person.