FACTOID # 51: Russia won the first World Air Games, held in Turkey in 1997. Events included hang-gliding, sky-surfing, and ballooning.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Talaq (conflict)
Conflict of Laws
Preliminary matters
Characterisation  · Incidental question
Renvoi  · Choice of law
Conflict of Laws in the U.S.
Public policy  · Hague Conference
Definitional elements
State  · Jurisdiction  · Procedure
Forum non conveniens  · Lex causae
Lex fori  · Forum shopping
Connecting factors
Domicile  · Lex domicilii
Nationality  · Lex patriae
Lex loci arbitri
Lex loci celebrationis
Lex loci contractus
Lex loci delicti commissi
Lex loci solutionis
Lex situs  · Proper law
Choice of law clause
Forum selection clause
Substantive legal areas
Status  · Capacity  · Contract  · Tort
Marriage  · Nullity  · Divorce
Get divorce  · Talaq divorce
Property  · Succession
Enforcement
Enforcement of foreign judgments

In Islamic Law, there are two forms of divorce known as the talaq and its less well-regulated version of triple talaq. This page deals with the relationship between religious and secular systems for terminating the marriage in the Conflict of Laws. Image File history File links SmallLadyJustice. ... Private international law comprises provisions of national law regarding contracts and lawsuits involving foreign laws or jurisdictions. ... In Conflict of Laws, characterisation is the second stage in the procedure to resolve a lawsuit involving a foreign law element. ... In the Conflict of Laws, an incidental question is a legal issue that arises in connection with the major cause of action in a lawsuit. ... In Conflict of Laws, renvoi (from the French, meaning send back) is a subset of the choice of law rules and it is potentially to be applied whenever a forum court is directed to consider the law of another state. ... Choice of law is a concept within the field of the conflict of laws, relating to relationships between different nations, and in the United States between individual states. ... Public policy or ordre public is the body of fundamental principles that underpin the operation of legal systems in each state. ... The Hague Conference on Private International Law is the preeminent organisation in the area of private international law. ... For the purposes of Public International Law and Private International Law, a state is a defined group of people, living within defined territorial boundaries and subject, more or less, to an autonomous legal system exercising jurisdiction through properly constituted courts. ... In law, jurisdiction refers to the aspect of a any unique legal authority as being localized within boundaries. ... In all lawsuits involving Conflict of Laws, questions of procedure as opposed to substance are always determined by the lex fori, i. ... Forum non conveniens is Latin for inconvenient forum or inappropriate forum. ... The lex causae is the Latin term for law of the case in the Conflict of Laws. ... Lex fori is a private international law doctrine meaning the law of the court in which proceedings are being conducted. ... Forum shopping is the informal name given to the practice of attempting to get a case heard in the court thought most likely to provide a decision favorable to a plaintiff. ... In Conflict of Laws, domicile (termed domicil in the U.S.) is the basis of the choice of law rule operating in the characterisation framework to define a persons status, capacity and rights. ... The lex domicilii is the Latin term for law of the domicile in the Conflict of Laws. ... Nationality is, in English usage, the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... The term lex patriae is Latin for the law of nationality in the Conflict of Laws which is the system of public law applied to any lawsuit where there is a choice to be made between several possibly relevant laws and a different result will be achieved depending on which... The lex loci arbitri is the Latin term for law of the place where arbitration is to take place in the Conflict of Laws. ... The lex loci celebrationis is the Latin term for law of the place where the marriage is celebrated in the Conflict of Laws. ... The lex loci contractus is the Latin term for law of the place where the contract is made in the Conflict of Laws. ... The lex loci delicti commissi is the Latin term for law of the place where the tort was committed in the Conflict of Laws. ... The lex loci solutionis is the Latin term for law of the place where relevant performance occurs in the Conflict of Laws. ... The term lex situs (Latin) refers to the law of the place in which property is situated for the purposes of the Conflict of laws. ... The Doctrine of the Proper Law is applied in the choice of law stage of a lawsuit involving the Conflict of Laws. ... A choice of law clause in a contract is one whereby the parties to that contract specify which law (i. ... A forum selection clause is a clause in a contract in which the parties agree that any litigation resulting from that contract will be brought in a specific forum. ... Capacity and incapacity are legal terms that refer to the ability of persons to make certain binding dispositions of their rights, such as entering into contracts, making gifts, or writing a valid will. ... In the Conflict of Laws, the validity of a contract with one or more foreign law elements will be decided by reference to the so-called proper law of the contract. ... In Conflict of Laws, the choice of law rule for tort is the proper law. ... In Conflict of Laws, the issue of marriage has assumed increasing public policy significance in a world of increasing multi-ethnic, multi-cultural community existence. ... In Conflict of Laws, the issue of nullity (known as annulment in the United States) in Family Law inspires a wide response among the laws of different states as to the circumstances in which a marriage will be valid, invalid or null. ... In modern society, the role of marriage and its termination through divorce have become political issues. ... In the Conflict of Laws, issues relevant to the enforcement of foreign judgments are frequently regulated by bilateral treaty or multilateral international convention to facilitate the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments between states. ... Islām is described as a dīn, meaning way of life and/or guidance. ... In modern society, the role of marriage and its termination through divorce have become political issues. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Triple Talaq is a controversial Sunni Islamic procedure whereby a husband can divorce his wife by saying to her Talaq, talaq, talaq (I divorce you, three times). ... In Conflict of Laws, the issue of marriage has assumed increasing public policy significance in a world of increasing multi-ethnic, multi-cultural community existence. ... Private international law comprises provisions of national law regarding contracts and lawsuits involving foreign laws or jurisdictions. ...

Contents


The process of talaq

The husband may initiate the divorce process by pronouncing the talaq, the formula of repudiation, three times. The first two times the talaq is pronounced, it may be withdrawn. But the third time it is pronounced, the divorce is irrevocable. There are a range of systems specifying the requisite formalities to complete an irrevocable divorce, i.e. whether some period of time must elapse between each pronouncement of talaq, whether there must be mediation, or the need for witnesses. For example, in Pakistan, section 7 Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 requires the following steps: Husband may refer to: the male spouse in a marriage a husband pillow. ...

  1. that the husband pronounces the required statement of divorce in front of witnesses; and
  2. gives written notice of that pronouncement to the Chairman of the local Union Council; and
  3. gives written notice to the wife;
  4. there is a waiting period of ninety days, or of a longer period of time if the wife is pregnant;
  5. an Arbitration Council must be constituted within thirty days of the date the written notice is given; and
  6. the Arbitration Council must take all steps necessary to try to bring about a reconciliation.

While Islamic law does not encourage or recommend polygamy, in the states where it is permitted, there is no waiting period before the husband can remarry. The wife must usually wait three months after the third talaq has been spoken before remarrying (this period is known as iddah). While the husband may divorce his wife extra-judicially when he considers the marriage has broken down, the wife may, according to some schools of Islamic law, approach a Sharia Court and petition it for a grant of divorce though this is to be avoided as far as possible, as guided by the saying of the Prophet, "among all the things that God has made legal, divorce is most hateful". This hadith encapsulates the complex attitude towards divorce; on the one hand, it is permissible to end a marriage rather than force the parties to endure the hardships of an intolerable life-long union. But divorce is a final resort, and to be avoided if at all possible. The Shariah permits either party to terminate the nikah or 'aqd (marriage contract). The dissolution at the wife's initiative, and with agreement of the husband, is known as khula (this is in contrast to rabbinical law, where only the husband can grant the get divorce). There is also provision in the Shariah for the wife to seek the judicial intervention of a qadi (Islamic judge) to obtain talaq for a range of reasons. There may also be an agreement in the marriage contract to confer the wife with the right to divorce should she want to, but a qadi must be informed if this is exercised. In countries like Malaysia, prenuptial agreements allow the wife to gain a divorce from the Sharia Court easily if the husband is at fault. The term polygamy (literally many marriage in late Greek) is used in related ways in social anthropology and sociobiology. ... Marriage is a relationship that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ... Sharia (Arabic: ; also SharÄ«ah, Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is the Arabic word for Islamic law, also known as the Law of Allah. ... Hadith (Arabic: , Arabic pl. ... Nikkah is the contract between a bride and bridegroom and part of a Islamic marriage. ... A Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) is a religious Jewish scholar who is an expert in Jewish law. ... In the Islamic world, Qadi Arabic قاضى is a judge. In countries where Sharia, the traditional law interpreted from the Quran or the Hadith, is the law, qadi refers to a judge according to the Sharia. ... A prenuptial agreement or antenuptial agreement, commonly abbreviated to prenup, is a contract entered into by two people prior to marriage or civil union. ...


However, problems arise in those Western countries where no Sharia Court has been established. Indeed, most Western countries restrict the recognition of extra-judicial divorces obtained by those resident in the host state. Hence, merely because their lex domicilii (the law of their domicile) may permit divorce by talaq, spouses resident in, say, France cannot use that method in substitution for the local secular judicial system to terminate their marriage. But there is a clear public policy need to consider whether, in an increasingly multi-racial and multi-ethnic society, transnational Islamic divorces can or should be recognised. For these purposes, a distinction is usually drawn between the Nikah form of talaq which is the normative form of procedural talaq, and the classical bare form of talaq which is used in India and in Pakistani Kashmir. In Conflict of Laws, domicile (termed domicil in the U.S.) is the basis of the choice of law rule operating in the characterisation framework to define a persons status, capacity and rights. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...


Problems within a state

Islamic communities experience marriage and civil divorce difficulties while resident in secular and non-Islamic states. One of the most common divorce difficulties is that a spouse can be held in a limping marriage when the other spouse refuses co-operation in the religious form of divorce. A civil divorce obtained through local courts entitles the parties to remarry, but the capacity to remarry can also be a religious question. Where one party has the power to grant or withhold a religious divorce, this power can be used as a bargaining tool to pressure the other party to agree more or less favourable terms for the custody of, and access to, children, and for maintenance and property settlements. Hence, an Islamic woman cannot remarry until her husband grants the talaq. Such provisions produce a conflict between the human rights of the woman to be free to marry and the freedom of people to practise their religion (see Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which is repeated almost word for word in Article 9(1) European Convention on Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief[[1]]). They may also breach sex discrimination laws in some states, but the acceptance and implementation of the provisions within the local religious community are very real and should not be ignored. The difficulty is that most countries operate under constitutions based on a separation between church and state which forbid governments from interfering in the practice of religion within their territory unless the behaviour of one or more parties is in breach of the local civil or criminal law. Marriage is a relationship between individuals which has formed the foundation of the family for most societies. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody... A court is an official, public forum which a public power establishes by lawful authority to adjudicate disputes, and to dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under the law. ... In the states of the European Union and elsewhere, parental responsibility refers to the rights and privilieges which underpin the relationship between a child and either its parents or those adults who have a significant role in its life. ... In Family Law, access (or in the United States, visitation) is one of the general terms which denotes the level of contact a parent or other significant person in a childs life can have with that child. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... In many countries alimony, maintenance or spousal support is an obligation established by law that is based on the premise that both spouses have an absolute obligation to support each other during the marriage (or civil union) unless they are legally separated, though in some instances the obligation to support... Division of property also known as equitable distribution of parties which is a judicial division of property rights and obligations between spouses during the process of the dissolution of marriage (divorce). ... Husband may refer to: the male spouse in a marriage a husband pillow. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945. ... The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (also UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/217, December 10, 1948), outlining a view on basic human rights. ... The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, also known as the European Convention on Human Rights, was adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe[1] in 1950 to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. ... The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a United Nations treaty based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in 1966. ... A country, a land, is a geographical area that connotes an independent political entity, with its own government, administration, laws, often a constitution, police, military, tax rules, and population, who are one anothers countrymen. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ...


Hence, most Western states make any response to proceedings relevant to the marriage by the secular courts conditional on the relevant party taking the steps necessary to complete a religious divorce on fair terms so that:

  • either the court will impose excessively generous orders for maintenance and property settlement, or
  • deny access to a civil decree or to ancillary relief,
  • until the religious formalities have been completed.

It is noted that an indefinite delay or refusal to grant a decree absolute might compound the unfairness because the affected spouse might be denied the freedom to remarry under both the secular and the religious rules. Nevertheless, the Canadian courts have the power to dismiss any application, and to strike out any pleadings and affidavits filed by a spouse who has failed to remove religious barriers to the remarriage of the other spouse. In the so-called Second New York Gett Law, there is a narrower approach, preventing a person who has not removed the religious barriers from obtaining a divorce or decree or annulment. In Australia, the Family Court in Gwiazda v Gwiazda No. M10631 of 1992 used its general injunctive power to order a reluctant wife who refused to accept a get, to appear before the Beth Din in Melbourne. Emery J. observed that: A decree nisi is a ruling by a court that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met. ... In the law, a pleading is one of the papers filed with a court in a civil action, such as a complaint, a demurrer, or an answer. ... An affidavit is a formal sworn statement of fact, written down, signed, and witnessed (as to the veracity of the signature) by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public. ... Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. ... A beth din (בית דין, Hebrew: house of judgment, plural battei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. ...

If I correctly understand the intention of the Act, then it is the clear duty of a judge of this court to ensure that appropriate orders are made fully effective, not only in theory but in fact. In this case the husband as a matter of law can marry any woman who is free to marry, subject only to the prohibitions in the Marriage Act, but as a matter of fact and practicability he cannot do so.

So-called "Gwiazda Orders" are now used when necessary to produce a fair result in cases involving all forms of religious marriage. The Australian Law Commission has proposed [[2]] that the decree nisi should not become absolute and, in any other proceedings except those relating to a child, the court should have the power to adjourn the proceedings. In English law, the present rules derive from the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Act 2002 (with the procedural the Family Proceedings (Amendment) Rules 2003), which applies if a decree nisi has been granted but not made absolute and the parties: A decree nisi (non-absolute ruling) is a ruling by a court that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met. ... English law is the law of England and Wales, rather than Scotland and Northern Ireland. ...

(a) were married in accordance with:
(i) the usages of the Jews, or
(ii) any other prescribed religious usages; and
(b) must co-operate if the marriage is to be dissolved in accordance with those usages.

On the application of either party, if the court is satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case it is just and reasonable to do so, it may order that the decree nisi is not made absolute until a declaration made by both parties that they have taken such steps as are required to dissolve the marriage in accordance with those usages is produced to the court. But no matter which country, if neither party to a religious marriage comes to the civil courts for relief, none of these options apply, and the law has no role to determine whether the party should facilitate the religious divorce.


Recognition and enforcement of the talaq between states

If the talaq is executed in a state where it is effective to terminate the marriage, this potentially affects the status and capacity of the spouses so that they are then free to remarry. Within the Conflict system, the enforcement of foreign judgments is a reasonably well-regulated area. But this form of divorce is only quasi-judicial at best, so it falls outside the normal rules. The general expectation as to choice of law depends on the characterisation of the issue. As a form of divorce, the rule might be that the lex loci actus (the law of the place where the transaction took place) should be applied and recognised universally so that the parties would avoid a limping marriage (i.e. that whether they are considered married will change depending on which states they visit or reside in). However, this may be against public policy because one of the parties is seeking to evade some mandatory provisions of law or it is not in the best interests of any children (see parens patriae). If the characterisation is status/capacity, this will be determined under the lex domicilii (the law of the domicile) in a common law state, and under the lex patriae (the law of the nationality) or habitual residence in a civil law state. Alternatively, the court seized of the matter might apply the lex fori (the municipal law of the forum state). Capacity and incapacity are legal terms that refer to the ability of persons to make certain binding dispositions of their rights, such as entering into contracts, making gifts, or writing a valid will. ... In the Conflict of Laws, issues relevant to the enforcement of foreign judgments are frequently regulated by bilateral treaty or multilateral international convention to facilitate the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments between states. ... In Conflict of Laws, characterisation is the second stage in the procedure to resolve a lawsuit involving a foreign law element. ... In law, the Doctrine of Evasion is a fundamental public policy. ... Parens patriae is Latin for parent of the fatherland or parent of the homeland. ... The lex domicilii is the Latin term for law of the domicile in the Conflict of Laws. ... In Conflict of Laws, domicile (termed domicil in the U.S.) is the basis of the choice of law rule operating in the characterisation framework to define a persons status, capacity and rights. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... The term lex patriae is Latin for the law of nationality in the Conflict of Laws which is the system of public law applied to any lawsuit where there is a choice to be made between several possibly relevant laws and a different result will be achieved depending on which... Nationality is, in English usage, the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... Civil law is a legal system derived from Roman law and commonly used in Europe. ... Lex fori is a private international law doctrine meaning the law of the court in which proceedings are being conducted. ...


The best answer is always to produce an in rem solution, i.e. wherever possible, the result must be accepted in the majority of states around the world. Thus, if the talaq is effective under the lex loci actus and recognised under the laws relevant to determine status and capacity, it will be recognised so long as the best interests of the children are protected in any orders or agreements made by the parties. For example, in English law, Part II of the Family Law Act 1986 draws the distinction between a divorce obtained by "judicial or other proceedings" and the divorce obtained "otherwise than by means of proceedings". The Nikah form is recognised in UK if: Sometimes a court may exercise jurisdiction over property located within the perimeter of its powers without regard to personal jurisdiction over the litigants; this is called jurisdiction in rem. ... English law is the law of England and Wales, rather than Scotland and Northern Ireland. ...

  • it is effective by the lex loci actus (the law of the place where it was obtained), and
  • at the relevant date, either party was:
habitually resident in,
domiciled either in accordance with the local law or English law, or
a national of that foreign country.

But a "bare" talaq will only be recognised in UK if:

  • it is effective by the law of the country where it was obtained and
  • at the relevant date, each party was domiciled in that country (or if only one was domiciled in that country, then the other was domiciled in another country where the bare talaq was recognised).

And no recognition will be allowed if one of the parties has been habitually resident in the UK throughout the period of one year immediately preceding the pronouncement. The intention is to prevent one spouse from evading the local judicial system by travelling to a country that does permit the talaq.


References

  • Freeland, R, "The Use and Abuse of Islamic Law", Volume 73, The Australian Law Journal, 130
  • Hasan, A, "Marriage in Islamic Law - A Brief Introduction", (March, 1999) Family Law, 164
  • Hinchcliffe, D, "Divorce in the Muslim World", (May, 2000), International Family Law, 63
  • South African Law Commission, Islamic Marriages and Related Matters, Project 59. July, 2003. [[3]]

  Results from FactBites:
 
Nullity (conflict) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1966 words)
In Conflict of Laws, the issue of nullity (known as annulment in the United States) in Family Law inspires a wide response among the laws of different states as to the circumstances in which a marriage will be valid, invalid or null.
Wherever possible, there should be international uniformity in defining a person's marital status so that people will not be treated as married under the law of one state, but not married under the law of another.
A marriage which satisfies the requirements of the state where the marriage was contracted will everywhere be recognised as valid unless it violates the strong public policy of another state which had the most significant relationship to the spouses and the marriage at the time of the marriage.” i.e.
The case of Triple Talaq (996 words)
Talaq has to be pronounced twice with an intervening period in which to rethink, reconsider and reconcile.
After the second talaq, there is still an intervening period, during which the husband has to think about the two choices available to him; either reconcile with his wife in an honourable way, or pronounce the third (irrevocable) talaq with kindness and allow her to go.
The common practice of impulsively uttering talaq thrice in a go, or writing talaq thrice on a postcard, or hiring a qazi to affix his signature on a scrap of paper, is totally anti-Islamic.
  More results at FactBites »


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.