28 Mar 2023; MEMO: The number of divorces in the Sultanate of Oman is on the rise, an official at the Office of the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate has revealed. Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Nasser Al-Sawafi pointed out that a majority of divorces happen for "trivial reasons".
According to Al-Shabiba newspaper on Monday, Sheikh Al-Sawafi said that it is "unfortunate" and "sad" that there are so many divorces for such reasons these days. He explained that after reviewing the reasons for filing for divorce, a majority of the cases are known to be due to haste, anger, impulsiveness and stubbornness, as well as lack of dialogue. The official added that in some cases, divorce occurs due to interference by family members and friends who give wrong advice.
Sheikh Al-Sawafi called on couples to be patient and resolve their differences through dialogue instead of resorting to divorce as the first option. He warned that divorce often causes other problems that have undesirable consequences which exacerbate problems.
The latest data in Oman shows that there were 6,000 divorces recorded in 2021 with an average of ten per day, an increase of 12 per cent compared with 2020. The population of Oman was 4.52 million people in 2021.
