A UAE-based Arab woman was so desperate to get out of a troubled marriage, she told her husband she was having an affair in the hope he would divorce her, Al Bayan newspaper reported.
The unfortunate reality for many Arab Muslim women is that a divorce must be granted by the husband. Thus, the woman was forced to resort to the drastic measure.
The wife sent her husband a WhatsApp message telling him she was having an affair and wanted to marry another man after she got a divorce.
According to local news reports, she also texted her husband profanities in a bid to anger him and lead him to grant her a divorce.
The details of the case are shocking
Angered by the message, the man immediately filed a police report against his wife, accusing her of having an illicit relationship, something that's illegal in the UAE.
The woman was initially charged with "beautifying sin" and referred to court.
However, after the husband discovered she had lied to him about having an affair, he withdrew his complaint and explained that he hopes to reconcile with his wife.
Because authorities couldn't find evidence of the alleged affair, a Sharjah court found the woman innocent and dropped the case against her.
It remains unclear whether her husband did eventually grant her a divorce.
The case shocked people on social media
Some were left speechless
"There's no strength or power but in God."
Others attacked the husband
"Divorce her, she doesn't want to live with you."
"No woman would ask for a divorce if her husband was good to her"
"Doesn't he have any dignity! She hates him, he should grant her divorce."
A similar case was recently reported in the UAE
Given all the obstacles Arab women face when they ask for a divorce, many are often left desperate to escape failed or even abusive marriages.
In a case similar to the most recently reported one, an Emirati woman sent herself a divorce message from her husband's mobile phone after he refused to end the unhappy marriage.
After presenting the message to court, the woman was questioned on its source and confessed she had actually sent it because she was desperate to get a divorce.
After learning what his wife had done, the husband didn't grant her a divorce but instead vowed to make the "divorce process in court as hard and slow as possible."