Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra’s Instagram Divorce Declaration Challenges Tradition
In a move that’s turning heads globally, Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a prominent princess of Dubai, has made a bold statement about her divorce via Instagram, defying both cultural and legal conventions.
Her post read: “I hereby declare our divorce. I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You. Take care. Your ex-wife.”
This announcement, made on Wednesday, draws attention to the practice of triple talaq — an Islamic tradition allowing a man to initiate divorce by repeating the term “talaq” three times. Unusually, Mahra herself took this step, breaking from tradition where typically only men invoke talaq.
Mahra’s message hints at personal issues, with a suggestion that her husband may have been unfaithful. This unconventional approach to divorce is a significant departure from the norm, where women traditionally do not have the right to initiate divorce in this manner under Islamic law.
This dramatic gesture is not an isolated case of Dubai’s royal family challenging traditional norms. Her sister, Sheikha Latifa, has previously made headlines for her criticisms of their father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and fled Dubai in a bid for freedom. Additionally, Princess Haya Bint Hussein, Sheikh Mohammed’s sixth wife, sought asylum in Germany and later took refuge in London due to safety concerns.
In the UAE, while Islamic law governs marital issues, non-Muslim expatriates can opt to follow their home country’s legal system. For Muslim women, divorce traditionally involves a process called khula, where the woman returns the mahr (dowry) to her husband’s family.
Following the announcement, both Sheikha Mahra and her ex-husband have removed all images of each other from their social media accounts, adding to the intrigue surrounding this high-profile separation.
For more on this developing story, check out The Washington Post.
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