Fatwa: Community can force divorce

A Muslim cleric in Egypt issued a fatwa saying community members can file for divorce on a couple’s behalf.

 

Sheik Gamal Qutb, former head of Egypt’s top religious institution, the Fatwa Committee at al-Azhar, said Sunday during a meeting at the Egyptian Press Syndicate that his fatwa states that neighbors and family members can file for a couple’s divorce if the pair’s differences appear irreconcilable, al-Arabiya reported Friday.

Qutb said community members should first attempt to help solve a couple’s marriage problems, but should then present evidence of the marriage’s failings to a court if the husband and wife cannot live together in peace.

“If the evidence the neighbors present is verified, the court has the right to divorce the couple,” Qutb said.