Can some Arab men stop divorcing their wives because they 'can't cook'?

Whoever convinced Arab men it's their wives' duty to cook for them must've had a pretty messed up take on gender roles. Unfortunately, this perspective is leading to numerous divorces in the region, with some men legally separating from their wives because they "can't cook."

One such case was reported in Iraq and saw a man divorce his wife because she wasn't able to properly make a local dish known as bajja (sheep organs stuffed with meat and rice).

The 25-year-old woman shared details of the unusual separation in a televised interview. 

"This story was shocking to everyone. For something so trivial, all our happiness ended. A three-year story of love and hardships, we fought so hard until our families gave us their blessings. We got married and it was all good, but he kept asking me to make 'bajja,' and it's something I don't know how to make," she said.

"I tried several times but failed and he ended up divorcing me because I couldn't cook the meal. Imagine, three years of happiness ruined because of a dish," she added.

As bizarre and ridiculous as this is, it's not the only similar case to have circulated online in recent years. In fact, if you do some minor research on the web, you'll be surprised with the number of Arab men asking for advice on whether or not to divorce their wives ... because they don't want to or can't cook. 

One Arab online user resorted to a religious edicts website asking whether it's permissible for him to divorce his eight-month pregnant wife because she never cooks. And it's not only him, in fact, many men in the region often divorce their wives for the most unacceptable and sexist reasons. 

In Egypt, it was recently reported that a husband divorced his wife of four years after she failed to lose weight following their 3-year-old daughter's birth. 

Earlier this year, a young Egyptian man divorced his wife of four months because she overspent money on facial masks made out of yogurt.

Weeks before that, another strange divorce incident saw an Egyptian man divorce his wife (who cooks) but "always smells like onions and garlic." 

Bizarre Arab divorces seem to be endless and the list of such cases shows no signs of shrinking anytime soon. Now if you thought these separation stories don't make any sense, we're here to tell you weird Arab divorce cases are based on anything and everything but logic. 

After all, where's the logic in divorcing over a shawarma wrap or a birthday surprise? 

But these are actual incidents that went down in countries across the region and, unfortunately, they aren't uncommon.