Kota Kinabalu: Alcohol abuse and financial instability are among the main causes of divorce among young couples in Sabah.
State Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains) Director Datuk Jumain Abdul Ghani said these two factors not only place pressure on the institution of marriage, but can also trigger conflicts that end in divorce, including among non-Muslim couples.
According to him, there are 17 causes for divorce and both these factors ranks high on the list.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});Jumain said this based on his experience handling divorce cases among young couples.
“This is because it can lead to addiction, personality changes, job loss, financial problems and domestic violence,” he said after the Mental, Physical and Spiritual Youth Wellness Seminar and the Premier Islamic Pre-Marriage Course at Wisma Muis recently.
The seminar was officiated by State Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation who is also the Islamic Religious Affairs Exco of Sabah, Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif.
“We also have a lot of experience dealing with youth divorce caused by drunkenness.
“They don’t come home for days, and when searched are found in a neighbour’s house. This often happens during major festive celebrations,” he said.
“As for financial problems, he said lack of knowledge, preparation and mutual understanding between couples all stem from financial pressure that is not properly addressed,” he said.
He said in some cases couples are already seeking divorce in the Native Court before their marriage had reached a year.
“These people are still young, around 25 to 40. Some have been married for only six months and when problems arise, they immediately want divorce,” he said.
He advised young couples to prepare themselves with knowledge about marriage before tying the knot, including attending pre-marriage courses.
“Even if their finances aren’t strong, they can try to make ends meet, if they are hardworking, not lazy and so on,” he said.
