"No Divorce Day" for Iranian Women

Marriage Day in Iran, which commemorates the marriage of Imam Ali to the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, was day in which family values were celebrated. Yet this year, the day was renamed No Divorce Day, and was reinstated as a day on which no divorce permits would be issued, after divorce rates tripled this past decade.

Many accredit this increase in divorce to the motivation and desire of Iranian women to escape unwanted, unequal marriages, as in Islam men are able to end their marriages without giving a reason, while women who want a divorce, must suffer and fight for years.

So instead of trying to focus on the positive side of marriage, the Iranian government decided to change its day of celebration of family values, to a day of further rejecting women’s right to equality.

For the complete story of Iran’s rising divorce rate and No Divorce Day, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/world/middleeast/07divorce.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&ref=global-home