A ceremony was held to celebrate the graduation of the first batch of young people to complete Dar al-Iftaa's course aimed at giving the youth an increased understanding of marriage and family life. According to Iftaa's statement on Friday, the Islamic body organized the marriage program because it was worried about the rising divorce rate in Egyptian society, which it attributed, to a large extent, to young people entering into marriage with little knowledge about it. During the ceremony, Egypt's Mufti Shawki Allam said that all the psychological, behavioral and social elements that made up the syllabus taught during the course were based on Islamic Sharia (legislation). He stressed the importance of holding regular meetings for the trainees at Dar al-Ifta to discuss their problems and exchange experiences. The Mufti revealed that Iftaa sought to establish a specialized "family counseling" unit to deal with family issues in a comprehensive and scientific manner. Dar al-Iftaa is one of the leading establishments that issue religious fatwas (advisory opinions) in the Islamic world. It was established in 1895 on the orders of Khedive Abbas Hilmi, and has been affiliated to the Ministry of Justice since 21 November 1895.
