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How Egypt's religious institutions are trying to curb atheism

Egyptian court records show thousands of women have filed for divorce over their husbands' atheism — even though religious authorities maintain there are only 866 atheists in the country.
An Egyptian couple stands on a bridge overlooking the Nile River in downtown Cairo on December 25, 2011. AFP PHOTO / Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
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CAIRO — Recently released statistics from the Family Court affiliated with the Supreme Judicial Council, with offices across all governorates in Egypt, revealed that 6,500 women had filed for divorce, or "khula" — separation and returning the dowry to the husband — in 2015 over their husbands' "atheism or change of belief."

According to Article 3 of the Personal Status Law No. 1 of 2000, rulings with regard to divorce and separation cases are issued in accordance with either this law or the Islamic jurisprudence of Imam Abu Hanifa al-Nu’man in cases where the text of the law is not clear. Under this school of jurisprudence, a married Muslim woman has the right to obtain a divorce in the event that her husband has renounced his faith.

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