‘I Divorce You’: Dubai princess’s Instagram declaration defies custom

“I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You,” wrote Sheikha Mahra, invoking the practice of triple talaq, which allows a Muslim man to divorce his wife by saying the Arabic word for divorce three times.

The daughter of Dubai’s ruler appears to have announced her divorce on social media.  A post from the verified Instagram account of Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said she was ending her marriage, and reads: “I hereby declare our divorce.”

The BBC has reached out to officials in the country to seek clarity on the matter.  There has been no public comment from Sheikha Mahra’s husband, Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum, or her father.  The post, which begins “Dear Husband”, concluded – “I divorce you, I divorce you, and I divorce you,” seemingly using the Islamic practice known as triple talaq.

The practice has been banned in many countries, but usually allows husbands to swiftly divorce their wives by saying “I divorce you” three times.  “Take care. Your ex-wife,” the post on Instagram added.  All images of Sheikha Mahra’s husband appear to have been deleted from her account. Sheikh Mana’s account likewise seems stripped of pictures of his wife.

The couple married in April 2023 in a lavish ceremony, and their first child was born two months ago.  Some comments from Instagram users have speculated that Sheikha Mahra’s account could have been hacked. There has been no official indication of this. At time of publication, the post declaring her divorce was listed as one day old.  Dubai’s government and the UAE Embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.