Indian man ordered to leave his wife after 'divorcing' her in his sleep

Reuters ^ | March 27, 2006

[Dog Gone]

NEW DELHI, India -- A Muslim couple in India have been told by local Islamic leaders they must separate after the husband "divorced" his wife in his sleep, the Press Trust of India reported.

Sohela Ansari told friends that her husband Aftab had uttered the word "talaq", or divorce, three times in his sleep, according to the report published in newspapers today.

When local Islamic leaders got to hear, they said Aftab's words constituted a divorce under an Islamic procedure known as "triple talaq". The couple, married for 11 years with three children, were told they had to split.

The religious leaders ruled that if the couple wanted to remarry they would have to wait at least 100 days. Sohela would also have to spend a night with another man and be divorced by him in turn.

The couple, who live in the eastern state of West Bengal, have refused to obey the order and the issue has been referred to a local family counselling centre.

India's minority Muslim population is governed by Islamic personal laws on issues such as marriage, divorce and property inheritance.

"This is a totally unnecessary controversy and the local 'community leaders' or whosoever has said it are totally ignorant of Islamic law," said Zafarul-Islam Khan, an Islamic scholar and editor of The Milli Gazette, a popular Muslim newspaper.

"The law clearly says any action under compulsion or in a state of intoxication has no effect. The case of someone uttering something while asleep falls under this category and will have no impact whatsoever," Khan told Reuters.

[2banana]

The religious leaders ruled that if the couple wanted to remarry they would have to wait at least 100 days. Sohela would also have to spend a night with another man and be divorced by him in turn.

What a crazy religion - and all about sex

[Unam Sanctam]

Sounds like he had the actus reus (commision of the act) but not necessarily the mens rea (intent), but perhaps Shariah doesn't require intent, just the formality.

[stm]

Insane custom. Just plain insane.

[camle]

sounds like she should have kept her mouth shut in teh first place. Unless divorce fits into HER plans...

[Rakkasan1]

super-duper no-fault divorce ping

[JRochelle]

There is no hope for such stupid people.

NONE!

[Bubba M. Aurelius]

The religious leaders ruled that if the couple wanted to remarry they would have to wait at least 100 days. Sohela would also have to spend a night with another man and be divorced by him in turn.

If Aftab decided not to remarry her she would then be an adulterer and subject to the tender mercies of the religion of peace. What a crock of brown stuff.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Also posted here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1603999/posts

[theDentist]

On teh other hand, women who are married to brutal husbands now only need to claim the hubby did the same in his sleep.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[zek157]

Sohela would also have to spend a night with another man and be divorced by him in turn.

All that effort to screw someone elses wife?

[stormlead]

it sounds like the "local community leaders" are just thinking of creative ways to get some tail.

[stm]

Now if the second man divorces her, would she not have to sleep with another man who would also have to divorce her and so on and so forth?

This is starting to look like that "put a mirror in front of a mirror" thing....

[the anti-liberal]

"Sohela Ansari told friends that her husband Aftab had uttered the word "talaq", or divorce, three times in his sleep,"

"Unless divorce fits into HER plans..."

He need ever have actually utters the words, she needs only say that he did, and there she there she has it - instant divorce.

Imagine if it were that easy here!

[Jaxter]

Wasn't this a Steve Martin routine?

First you say:

I break with thee
I break with thee
I break with thee

And then throw dog poop on her shoes.

[Ichneumon]

Meanwhile, a lot of us married men can relate to this variation:

[pop-gun]

Is there no end to the intellectual vacancy of these people?.

[numberonepal]

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

[Disambiguator]

"You just say 'I break with thee' three times and then throw dog poop on their shoes."