200 UAE couples headed for Umrah to save their marriages, khaleejtimes.com, 1 March 2004
ABU DHABI – Instead of heading for the court to split, many married couples in UAE pray to the Almighty Allah to solve their marital problems, media reports say.
Thousands of faithful recently travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah in a bid to save their troubled marriages. The holy pilgrimage has helped more than 200 families, mostly UAE nationals.
It has been proved that Haj and Umrah are effective in stopping divorce when marital problems outside the family atmosphere.
According to sociologists the rate of divorce among nationals as well as marriages with foreign women is high, though the population is less compared to expatriates in the country.
This, they said, could affect the cultural heritage in the UAE where expatriates constitute 85 per cent of the total (over three million) population, thus representing the highest rate in the region.
According to Fatima Sirri, Chairperson of the Women’s Association in Dubai, who offers free counselling, Islam is the highest authority in solving all problems.
“Youth were no longer shy or feel ashamed to solicit my advice,” she said. She added that “it was certainly we use the religion as an authority in offering the advice”.
Official estimated figures show that as many as 258 nationals filed a suite of divorce in 2002 compared to 135 law suites in 1995.
The figure could be normal in the West, but in the UAE it is a matter of concern and worry for the officials, who provide all facilities including material incentives and bear the costs of wedding parties with the aim of marriage and this increases the number of national population.
Sociologists said that the mightiest upheavals and the oil boom had changed the lifestyle of large number of nationals, who start to follow Western customs that encouraged them to marry foreign women, who are less adherent to the traditions.
This means that many national girls would remain spinsters though they are university degree holders.
In an attempt to end this problem the UAE has set up the marriage fund. Its objectives are to help couples tie the knot and lessen the lavish wedding expenses.
