Marriage is brilliant, except when it's not. We look to it as the fulfilment of our fairytale dreams and children might flourish in its warm embrace. And we use legal frameworks to give solidity to our human desire for coupling.
Yet our societies and spiritual leaders are often found to fall very short of providing the right kind of legal framework to support us in our marital endeavours – and to give us a graceful exit when needed.
This is the case across all religions and cultures but as a Muslim woman, it feels particularly galling when I see the horrendous consequences of these attitudes and practices on Muslim women, under the claim that it is Islamic and that for Muslim women to challenge it is a betrayal of Islam and constitutes being a bad Muslim woman.
I know that even writing this piece might open me up to accusations of opposing or denying Islam. That's not the case. I simply want the unfairness to end and for the sanctity of marriage to be demonstrated in actions, not just words.
Such challenges are even harder in countries where Muslims are minorities because it leaves Muslim women making difficult choices about whether to challenge such decrees, which might add fuel to the broader narrative used to demonise Muslims more generally.
It is one of the reasons why the Indian government's move to ban triple talaq has been so contentious. Islamic law is enshrined in Indian law so this interference is seen as fuel by the government to satisfy a Hindu nationalist agenda, in the process criminalising Muslim men and conveniently turning a blind eye to the miseries women in India face more generally, a country recently named by the news organisation Thomson Reuters as the worst country to be a woman.
Last month a woman in India who was campaigning for an end to triple talaq was denounced by a Muslim cleric, who issued a fatwa against her, calling for her to be banned from receiving medicine if she fell sick or funeral rites if she died.
Despite such complicated socio-political conundrums facing Muslim women, it does sometimes seem to be secular law that offers recourse.
This week in the UK, a court ruling created a shift in the way Muslim women navigate divorce, even if no civil marriage has been conducted, which could have implications for thousands of Muslims in the UK and allow the possibility of laying claim to a share of assets to the marriage.
A high court judge decided the 20-year marriage of Nasreen Akhter and Mohammed Shabaz Khan fell within the scope of English matrimonial law, even though they never underwent a civil ceremony.
The judge declared the nikaah, or Islamic wedding ceremony, constituted a marriage, suggesting that there was a form of contract, even though nikah has been declared legally non-existent in previous cases.
Since a nikaah conducted in the UK is currently not recognised as a legally valid marriage, many Muslim women have found themselves left without the protection of the law in the case of divorce, death or a husband remarrying, either unaware that they have no legal protection or on the promise of a civil marriage which never materialises.
This is sometimes justified within Muslim communities, who say the Islamic marriage is the only one necessary.
All of this seems rather ironic as the husband in this case said they were "only" married under Islamic law and therefore there was no relationship of signficance.
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Read more:
‘Triple talaq’ divorce not legal in EU, top court rules
Drive to get UK Muslims to register marriages
UAE family matters: how to protect your assets in a divorce
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Whatever the political or legal backdrop, has it really come to the stage where secular courts are providing better protection for the rights of Muslim women than the Muslim community itself? Doesn't it make a mockery of claims about the sanctity of marriage? Where are the spiritual leaders in charge of the way marriage is managed in Muslim families – and this is not just a problem in minority Muslim countries – who should be fixing these problems?
Instead, we have cases like that of the mother of a teenage girl, jailed by a British criminal court in May for forcing her daughter to marry an older man who had raped her at the age of 13. Or the Sudanese teenager sentenced to death for killing the man her father forced her to marry after the husband invited three men to help him rape her. Or the Turkish body Directorate of Religious Affairs, or Diyanet, which issued a fatwa declaring couples could get divorced by phone call, fax or text message.
The spirit of marriage in Islam is one of dialogue, mediation and consultation. It is mind-boggling that you could be at the supermarket handing over your credit card to pay for groceries when a Whatsapp arrives to tell you that your marriage has ended.
And that's even before you consider what kind of impact such disregard for the seriousness of marriage and family would have on the children. Imagine you are a small child playing happily, only to be told your your father has divorced your mother by declaring talaq three times and life as you know it is over.
Instead of being outraged that women are fighting this imbalance and being forced to take matters into their own hands, clerics and lawmakers need to start thinking about how the implementation of the law really does uphold the spirit of marriage.
Shelina Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
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Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
