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A Husband’s Confession Divorce Rates in Arab Countries are on the Rise, as Infidelity is no longer just something to laugh about as seen in the Comedy, “A Husband’s Confession” Synopsis Divorce rates are increasing high throughout the world. What once was a taboo subject in many Arab countries is now becoming a common occurrence. The 1965 movie “A Husband’s Confession” depicts an alleged affair by Wahid, and his wife’s best friend. [1] Wahid, played by actor Fouad el Mohandes is apparently happily married to his wife Latifa, who is the actress Shoueikar. Wahid has a dream that he was kissing Boussa, which is played by Hind Rostom. The misunderstanding is staged in a comedic way, but contains serious undertones about infidelity. The movie is an early insight into the unforgiving nature of individual’s engaging in extra marital affairs. At the time the movie was filmed, divorce rates where very low and unheard of; but in today’s Arab society it is a common occurrence which is often times due to infidelity. [2] Outcomes Divorce is a difficult subject in most societies, but no more so than in the Arab culture. Families traditionally stay together and remain a family unit, regardless of the circumstances. In the movie “A Husband’s Confession” the drama is staged around what is perceived to be an act of infidelity. Even the alleged notion of an affair sets the entire family, and extended family, into tragic circumstances. Societies in Arab countries are very traditional in nature, and they hold family unity in high regards. [3] Marriage in Arab countries is typically an agreement, and involvement between both parties that is guided through by their religion. There are many formal procedures, regulations, and rituals that ensure against the failure of the marriage. [4] In the past decades, the divorce rate for couples in Arab countries was relatively low and almost unheard of. [4] Currently, the divorce rates in these countries are among the highest in the entire world. Infidelity is one of the leading factors that are at the root of these divorces. [2] Movies like “A Husband’s Confession,” which originated in the 1960’s, shows how society in many Arab countries is changing. What once was a solvable issue where families came together to overcome marital problems, is now resulting in astronomical divorce rates. The norm of family unity and close family ties has slowly been eroding over time, and is now evident in the surmounting numbers of divorce in many Middle Eastern countries. [5] The movie, “A Husband’s Confessions” portrays a time period that began a downward progression of divorce, due to infidelity, that was once a taboo subject and now is a mainstream problem in the Arab culture.

Statistics The family dynamics in many Arab nations is changing. What once was a tight nucleus family that came together with the sign of any problem like in the movie “A Husband’s Confession, is now becoming divided. Divorce has become a simple answer to problems between married couples. [3] The changing family norms are moving from what once included extended family members living together to a nuclear one; which only includes the spouses and children. [6] Polygamy, the practice of being married to more than one husband or wife at the same time, was once very common in many Arab societies prior to the early 20th century. [7] Subsequently, many countries in the Middle East changed their divorce policies, now allowing women an easier route to divorce. [8] Women were not accepting polygamy practices, as they now have the right to divorce their husbands if they do not agree with them marrying multiple partners. The rise in statistics of high divorce rates, preceding the changing of laws in Arab countries, correlates directly with the changing family dynamics. In Jordon, the divorce rate remains the highest, which is indicated by the 2017 statistics of one out of every five Jordanian women have been divorced and are now remarried. [9] These alarming statics is the result of the countries Iftaa Department to allow divorced women and widows to remarry. In Kuwait, as of 2017, 60% of all marriages have ended in divorce. [5] Egypt’s rate of divorce stands at 40%, which prompted President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to put an end to the ability for Muslim men to verbally divorce their wives; although this legislation was rejected by the religious council. [5] Previous laws that were adopted by the Egyptian government enabled woman to more easily divorce their husbands. In Lebanon, the divorce rate increased by 55% in the years between 2000 and 2013; while in 2016, Saudi Arabia reports that there are five cases of divorce that are filed every hour in the country. [5] Similar divorce rates can be seen throughout all of the Middle Eastern countries. The rising numbers indicate a direct correlation between laws favoring women in gaining the right to divorce their husbands. A degrading of the institution of marriage, that can be seen worldwide, is now becoming complacent in many Arab countries. Women now who are contemplating marriage are engaging in contractual agreements that ensure that there will be no polygamy practices that their future husbands will engage in. [6] With the divorce average in Western countries at around 50%, many countries in the Middle East are now comparative to these rate, and in some cases exceeding them. [10]

1.	Synopsis 2.	Outcome 3.	Statistics 4.	References 5.	External Links References 1.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJdp4MWaheo 2.	https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265569231_Divorce_in_the_Arab_Region_Current_Levels_Trends_and_Features 3.	http://csusdspace.calstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.9/1104/FAMILY+DYNAMICS+BETWEEN+ARAB+MUSLIM+PARENTS.pdf?sequence=1 4.	https://epc2006.princeton.edu/papers/60046 5.	https://stepfeed.com/arab-countries-ranked-by-divorce-rates-1007 6.	https://www.academia.edu/6629935/Divorce_in_the_Arab_Gulf_Countries_AMajor_Challenge_to_Family_andSociety 7.	https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201801/the-pros-and-cons-polygamy 8.	https://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1220&context=meea 9.	https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190125-20-percent-of-jordanian-females-married-in-2017-were-divorced-or-widowed/ 10.	http://www.ucd.ie/geary/static/publications/workingpapers/gearywp201320.pdf