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Virginity Lie Not Grounds for Annulment

French court ruling makes Muslim couple married again

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 17, 2008 12:02 PM CST

(Newser) – France has overturned a lower court decision annulling a Muslim couple’s marriage on grounds that the bride lied about being a virgin, the BBC reports. That means the couple is married again—whether they like it or not. Husband and wife both accepted the original decision, but it sparked a public outcry; some feminists slammed it as “a real fatwa against the emancipation of women.”

In the case, the husband’s lawyers held that he had been duped into marrying a woman who’d assured him she’d never had a boyfriend. Feminists said that, were the gender roles flipped, that argument would never fly; others wondered if the ruling was affected by the couple’s religion in a country that calls itself secular.

French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, right, called for a review of the divorce decision.
French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, right, called for a review of the divorce decision.   (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)
The couple divorced after the husband claimed his wife had lied about being a virgin.
The couple divorced after the husband claimed his wife had lied about being a virgin.   (Shutterstock)
A French court overturned a divorce ruling, thus remarrying the couple.
A French court overturned a divorce ruling, thus remarrying the couple.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Shannonals
Apr 10, 2009 6:55 AM CDT
It's idiotic to annul the marriage, the husband will never trust the wife again, it's just setting up a potential domestic violence incident
Guest
Nov 19, 2008 9:30 PM CST
I remember reading the original article about this many months ago. What an odd conclusion to the tale.

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