Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta Launches Sex Education Programme

Last month, Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta announced that the beginning of a new marriage preparation programme for singles and premarital couples that aims to better prepare them for married life with all its ups and downs. The program was inaugurated at a press conference last month by Grand Mufti Shawki Allam who said, “Dar al-Ifta will offer in the coming period marriage preparation sessions across the governorates of the republic, since Dar al-Ifta is the mirror of society and tracks societal movement and the needs of citizens."

The Ministry of Religious Endowments announced late February that they are introducing a new training program for imams to educate them on how to counsel couples to make them better spouses through religion. The national divorce rate has increased in recent years and this program is aiming to remedy that problem.

The program will be 6 weeks long, with classes held twice a week. Amr al-Wardani, the director of training at Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, said this to Al Monitor, “The programme will cover all aspects related to family [relations], to prevent the [future] spouses from falling into potential pitfalls and committing mistakes.”

Wardani continues that the program will cover sex education, reproductive health lessons, and medical counselling. He said Dar al-Ifta does not want to ignore such subjects since they "form the basis of marital life. The lack of this education is the cause of several conjugal problems. Providing sex education is not in conflict with the provisions of Islamic Sharia.”