Man divorces wife for not closing car door

Islam forbids Muslims from divorcing out of anger or for petty reasons, but this injunction did not stop a Saudi man from leaving his wife because she refused to close their car door, according to recent reports in local media and on social networking sites.
The couple reportedly went out on a picnic and when they returned home, the wife got out, helped their children to do so and then moved to go into their house.
Her husband then called out for her to close the door, but she refused, saying he should do so because he was closer to it. Incensed at her reply, the husband reportedly said: “You are forbidden to me and should not enter my home if you do not close the door.”
The woman then reportedly left and returned to her father's house. Many people have tried to reconcile the couple, but the woman has rejected all attempts, saying that she does not want to remain married to such an "irresponsible" man
Arab News spoke to well-known Saudi Sheikh Asim Al-Hakim on the matter, who said that the divorce is valid based on the man's actions.
Al-Hakim explained that there are direct and indirect divorces. Direct divorce can occur even if a person jokes about it. Indirect divorce is based on intent.
“Intention is very important in such cases, but such behavior is irresponsible." He said Islam has given men a great deal of responsibility to act correctly under these circumstances. "So a man should be very careful about his actions,” he said.
He said a judge can issue a final verdict in such cases. He warned that people should not act hastily and in anger.
According to a study conducted by Aleqtesadiah newspaper, there are 2.5 divorce cases for every 1,000 men above the age of 15.
There were 30,000 divorces in 2012, averaging 82 a day, or three an hour. In earlier reports, the Ministry of Economy and Planning confirmed that while courts and marriage officials register around 70,000 marriage contracts annually, they also process more than 13,000 divorces.
The study also showed that the Kingdom ranked second among Gulf Cooperation Council countries in terms of divorces after Bahrain, where the rate is 2.7 for every 1,000 people. The same study showed an upward trend in divorce cases in 2012 compared with 2010, when there were 75 a day.