Palestinian judge bans divorce during Ramadan because ‘people make hasty decisions when they’re hungry’

A Palestinian judge has banned divorces during the month of Ramadan as people may make hasty decisions “because they have not eaten and not smoked”.

Mahmoud al-Habbash, head of the Palestinian Islamic sharia court system, said people who deprive themselves of food and cigarettes during daylight hours may “create problems” in their relationship and then make “quick and ill-considered decisions”.

To avoid such decisions, judges will only consider and rule on divorce applications made after the month of fasting is over, Al Jazeera reports.

He said his order was based on “the experience of previous years”.

Ramadan 2017: All you need to know

In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, but also in Israel and Lebanon, only religious courts have the power to allow marriages and divorces.

More than 50,000 weddings were celebrated in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 2015, but over 8,000 divorces were also registered, according to the Palestinian Authority.

Millions of Muslims across the globe are fasting for Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam.

During the month, many Muslims will fast from sunrise to sunset, forgoing food and water, smoking and sex during daylight.

The end of Ramadan will be marked by the Eid al-Fitr festival, a celebration that can last up to three days each year.