Woman Files For Divorce Over Stinky Feet

By Pamela Mortimer

Yara Saad Al-Din, 23, has filed divorce papers at a Family Court because her husband hasn't taken a shower since the couple was married—two months ago.

Al-Din met Aysar Ali, a 31-year-old engineer, during a plane flight. After a weeklong courtship, Ali proposed, and the two were married shortly after.

According to the divorce papers, Ali’s excuse for not bathing for the two months was due to a skin disease that caused him to be allergic to water. Al-Din then consulted her husband’s doctor, who confirmed the husband's allergy, but assured the woman that Ali’s disease has nothing to do with water.

When Ali refused to grant Al-Din’s request for a divorce, she filed for a khol'a – an Islamic arrangement that will grant a woman a divorce as long as she renounces her financial rights.

Many wives have gone the route of the khol'a and cases of the divorce alternative have been increasing steadily in Egypt. Approximately 12,000 khol'a cases are registered in courts each year.

To uncover the cause behind these cases, AlArabiya.net conducted an investigation only to find the strange and unusual reasons for divorce.

Salwa Abdullah, a civil servant, filed for divorce from her husband because he had bad breath from eating too much onion and garlic. Abdullah also cited he reason that he didn't wash his feet. The latter repelled the woman from having sex with her husband and she refused to sleep in their marital bed.

Nawal Abul-Aal, an engineer in the coastal city of Port Said, filed for divorce because her husband, a veterinarian, insisted on keeping dogs and cats in their house.

Atteyat Al-Sayed, a housewife in Upper Egypt, filed divorce papers after her husband forbade her to go to her father's funeral.

Hanaa Al-Abd, another resident of Upper Egypt, filed for khol’a because her husband posed as a sorcerer and made money from preparing spells that were designed to help girls find a husband, bring people back from abroad, and solve various marital problems. When Al-Abd asked the husband to give up this fraudulent business, he refused.

Although women renounce any right to financial support in khol'a divorces, many use it as a means to get out of miserable or unhealthy marriages.

Previously, a woman would have to present strong evidence against her husband in order to obtain divorce. The evidence could include things such as physical abuse or adultery. The khol’a law, making the filing more obtainable, was passed in 2000.