Saudi man divorces wife after she tried to surprise him for his birthday

In one of the most bizarre divorce cases to be reported in Saudi Arabia, a man recently divorced his wife because she left home to get a surprise meal for him on his birthday. 

According to Ain Al Youm, the woman went to popular Saudi restaurant Al Baik, in Al Kherj governorate, to pick up her husband's favorite meal after she'd set up everything to surprise him at home.  

Speaking to the local news site, a social worker who handled the case, explained that when the wife was on her way back from the restaurant, the taxi she was in broke down. 

Her husband then arrived home before she did and was angered when he couldn't find her.

The moment she arrived back home, the man drove his wife to her parents' house and told them he was divorcing her. 

The social worker added that the woman was a newlywed when the incident took place. 

Soon after news of the case started to make the rounds online, it shocked hundreds of social media users. 

"How could she leave home without asking for her husband's permission?"

"Such a stupid decision on the part of the husband. He should've thought of his wife's feelings. All she wanted was to celebrate his birthday."

"Her luck betrayed her and she married this regressive person." 

As shocking as it is, the most recent reported case isn't the only strange divorce case to be recorded in the kingdom. 

Earlier this year, a man divorced his wife because she forgot to add a 'sheep's head' to a rice dish she served to his dinner guests. 

At the time the case was reported, psychoanalyst Dr. Hani Al Ghamdi noted that it wasn't an isolated incident, recounting a few other absurd divorce stories he'd previously come across. 

In one such case, a man divorced his wife because he couldn't stand the tone of her voice. In another, a husband divorced his wife during their honeymoon because she wore an anklet. 

Another case Al Ghamdi spoke of is one that saw a husband divorce his wife because she walked ahead of him in a mall even after he had asked her to stay behind him. 

Al Ghamdi attributes the high rates of divorce in the kingdom to lack of knowledge among people when it comes to the core values of marriage.

Divorce rates are rising in Saudi Arabia, and while most cases can be attributed to reasonable causes, a lot of them can't.

In an interview with Al-Watan, legal marriage officiator، Hmoud Al Shammari said that amid the rising divorce rates, counseling services must be provided to newlyweds and married couples in general.

In 2015, concern over skyrocketing divorce rates in the kingdom led the Ministry of Justice to launch "marriage workshops."

However, separation rates have continued to rise, and several of the kingdom's counselors and social workers are working on raising awareness on the issue, especially among young people in the country. 

Saudi Arabia isn't the only Arab country currently facing this social issue. In recent years, the UAE, Kuwait, and several other Gulf and Arab countries have also seen a rise in divorce rates.