Bahrain: Muslim Convert Granted Divorce by High Sharia Court After 10-Year Separation
The High Sharia Court has granted a divorce to a woman who converted to Islam after a 10-year separation from her Christian husband.
The woman, an Asian national, had been married to her husband for 16 years under a marriage contract issued in their home country.
According to her lawyer, Ibtisam Al Sabbagh, the relationship broke down in 2014, with no contact between the couple since.
The woman moved to Bahrain in 2017.
The pivotal point in the case, however, was the woman's conversion to Islam, confirmed by a certificate issued by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments.
This conversion, coupled with the prolonged separation and the Islamic prohibition against Muslim women marrying non-Muslim men, formed the basis of her divorce petition.
The court's judgment pointed to the Islamic principle that a marriage contract can be annulled due to a huge impediment arising after the marriage.
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