CAIRO — Egypt's Dar al-Ifta announced Feb. 12 its new marriage preparation program for would-be couples and single people. The program, from the government institution in charge of issuing fatwas and offering courses on social issues, aims to familiarize Egyptians with marriage-related Sharia provisions on choosing a husband or wife, and also to educate couples about the engagement period, reproductive health and conjugal behavior, which includes sex education. The program will further prepare couples to deal with potential life problems and pressure.

Following Dar al-Ifta’s announcement, the Ministry of Religious Endowments announced Feb. 22 a new training program for imams that would teach them how to counsel couples through religious lessons and sermons. The program is part of efforts to counter Egypt's rising divorce rates.

During the press conference held to inaugurate Dar al-Ifta's program, Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam said, “Dar al-Ifta will offer in the coming period marriage preparation sessions across the governorates of the republic, since Dar al-Ifta is the mirror of society and tracks societal movement and the needs of citizens.”

He added, “The available statistics show that in the past five years the divorce rate has increased, especially in the first five years of marriage. We identified the problem, and we discussed its causes and ways to remedy it.”