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Wife 'divorces husband for being too short'

The woman claims she can no longer cope with the social ridicule caused by her husband's height

Hardeep Matharu
Friday 02 October 2015 10:04 BST
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An unidentified woman, not pictured, has applied to end the seven month marriage
An unidentified woman, not pictured, has applied to end the seven month marriage (AFP/Getty Images)

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A woman in Saudi Arabia is reportedly divorcing her husband because he is too short.

Gulf News reports that the unnamed pair have been married for seven months, but that the woman claims she can no longer cope with being mocked for being taller than her partner.

The woman, in her 20s, has reportedly told the endowment department in the country’s eastern province that she wanted to separate from her husband because she is painfully uneasy with, and caused distress by, attitudes towards the union from strangers in public.

The head of the endowment department in Al Qatif, Shaikh Mohammed Al Jirani, said the case was among the strangest it had dealt with.

News of the woman’s move has received a mixed response on social media, with some blaming her for agreeing to marry him to begin with, while a few said she was right to be divorcing the man as his height was not an issue which could be overcome with mere patience.

In May, a Saudi Arabian man reportedly divorced his wife after she sent him a video which showed her driving the family car.

Saudi women are subjected to a de facto ban on driving in the kingdom as they are not allowed to apply for licences.

The man filed for divorce, reportedly telling a judge that his wife had not only broken the law, but also social traditions and norms.

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