The wedding nearly 1,400 years ago of Imam Ali, Shiite Islam\u2019s most revered figure, and Fatemeh al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is commemorated in Iran\u2019s packed political calendar as a day to celebrate family values.<\/p>\n
But in a sign of the Iranian authorities\u2019 increasing concern about Iran\u2019s shifting social landscape, Marriage Day, as it is usually known in Iran, this year was renamed No Divorce Day. Iran\u2019s justice minister decreed that no divorce permits would be issued.<\/p>\n
Whether the switch was effective or not, the officials\u2019 concerns are understandable. Divorce is skyrocketing in Iran. Over a decade, the number each year has roughly tripled to a little more than 150,000 in 2010 from around 50,000 in 2000, according to official figures. Nationwide, there is one divorce for every seven marriages; in Tehran, the ratio is 1 divorce for every 3.76 marriages, the government has reported.<\/p>\n