Cairo -
Specialists called for a societal dialogue and a thorough study of the economic situation in Egyptian society before completing a project to issue a psychological certificate for those who are about to get married.
And they stressed in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net that despite the merit of the idea, the conditions of those wishing to build a marital home in Egypt require securing a financial amount that provides housing and social and psychological security without entering the race to increase the burdens of life and the formation of a new family.
The Egyptian House of Representatives is currently discussing a proposal to approve the new medical examination law, which includes the obligation to issue a psychological and health certificate before marriage, and refer it to the relevant committees, amid a tone of support from the representatives that the matter will be in the interest of the spouses.
Member of Parliament Abla Al-Alfi described the bill in press statements as a very important step that benefits those who are about to get married and provides them with means of safety.
Dr. Abdel Hafez El-Sawy: Unfortunately, marriage is like many matters in Egypt that are dealt with randomly (Al-Jazeera)
financial capacity
In turn, the economic expert, Dr. Abdel Hafez Al-Sawy, believes in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net that the phenomenon of marriage and thinking about it within the framework of the psychological and health dimension is positive, but there are more urgent dimensions in the Egyptian society for those who are about to marry, foremost of which is the economic dimension and then the social dimension.
Dr. El-Sawy adds that, unfortunately, marriage is like many matters in Egypt that are dealt with randomly and partially by dealing with phenomena, with an emphasis on dealing with it in a way that does not bear any burdens on the state and thus does not succeed, which is what those who are about to marry suffer from.
The economic expert explains that the problem of young people who are about to marry in Egypt now is the issue of securing permanent and stable work and obtaining an adequate income that satisfies the requirements of life, in addition to providing a financial amount to help complete the marriage project, especially the preparation of the marital home and the provision of suitable housing, whether by rent or ownership.
Al-Sawy points out that the health and psychological aspects are required, but they must be considered in the framework of a study that says how much they represent in cases of failure to marry or cause divorce, and then give them priority over the rest of the other factors, but to focus on the issue of the existence of new procedures that cause an increase in costs Marriage without clarity of interest or tampering with these procedures through bribery. This is a door to increasing the burdens of marriage and not facilitating it as some want.
He stressed that such sensitive social issues should be brought up for societal dialogue in the presence of economists, sociologists, psychology and health scientists, in the presence of an economic study that provides answers to specialists and identifies the burdens of any decision, especially in the course of marriage.
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Qalawi: I think that all that will happen is to increase the papers required for marriage, another paper and only (Al-Jazeera)
Important with controls, but
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Basma Academy for Marital Happiness, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Qalawi, believes in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net that it is the duty of the person to marry to strive in questioning, scrutiny and scrutiny about the person with whom he will complete his entire life's journey, and who will face the vicissitudes of his journey in life.
Al-Qalawi adds that if this certificate will achieve the goal, there is nothing wrong with it as long as the psychologists have set controls for it that achieve its goal and will not involve favoritism and bribes so that it will come out as a paper that has nothing to do with reality.
He added, "But do such papers overcome the crises and problems that the family suffers from, such as high prices, psychological pressures and life requirements that are beyond everyone's capacity? Therefore, I think that all that will happen is the increase in the papers required for marriage and only another paper."
Al-Qalawi added that the real treatment is far from this, pointing out that what is required is a comprehensive reform of the system in which the country is experiencing, which would alleviate the economic exhaustion that puts the family in a tunnel of psychological pressure on the husband and wife, which makes family problems a natural result.
It is incumbent upon the person who is about to get married to diligently question, scrutinize and scrutinize the person with whom he will continue his life’s journey (Getty Images)
psychological opinion
Psychologists participated in the ongoing debate, amid a split in their opinions.
For his part, the psychological expert, Dr. Shihab El-Din El-Hawary, believes that the matter is useless, and asked in a colloquial post on his official Facebook page, "What is the idea of obligating those who are about to marry to conduct a psychological evaluation? Are we now in the official organic and functional evaluation when we do a psychological evaluation? ".
Al-Hawari also asked, "And did the one who proposed the law think of the idea of obligating him to attend an approved rehabilitation workshop and assess his attendance and not his person? Was a research review of the experiences of similar countries, Malaysia for example? Was research capabilities used in the feasibility study of the application?"
Al-Hawari expressed his regret at these measures, which he described as "sad steps in formality."
On the other hand, Dr. Mohamed Taha, a consultant psychiatrist in Egypt, defended the idea of issuing a psychological certificate to those who are about to marry.
"Very happy news...and I hope it will be implemented as soon as possible," Taha said in a brief statement on his official Facebook page, adding that he demanded the issuance of this psychological certificate in more than one TV show.
societal debate
The pioneers of social networking sites in Egypt were busy discussing the matter between agreeing and rejecting, and the spokesperson for the Human Rights and Development Organization, Zaidan Al-Qanai, demanded the issuance of a mental health certificate for the newlyweds as a condition for completing the marriage contract, stressing the importance of the Ministry of Health issuing these certificates through a specialized medical committee.
"The martyrdom aims to confront domestic violence and early divorce cases, which have recently become a phenomenon in Egypt, as well as to build an Egyptian family that is socially and psychologically healthy and qualified to raise children," Al-Qanai said in a statement on Facebook.
And Alaa Saad, in a post on her Facebook account, approved the idea, and considered that the matter is required for those who are about to get married, and described it as a job interview for those who are about to get jobs.
She added that it is necessary to hold qualification tests and hand over a certificate to the successful ones that qualify them for marriage, in addition to training courses on how to deal with a life partner and how to properly raise children.
On the other hand, Doaa Al-Mahjoub criticized the whole thing in her Facebook post.
She inquired about the extent to which there is information about the percentage of those who are about to get married in villages and rural areas in Egypt, the percentage of psychiatrists close to their whereabouts, and the extent of the validity of these psychiatrists from the ground up in light of their being affected by the crises of society.
She believes that taking care of young people and reforming education is the way to preserve families and not need such certificates.
In his tweet, Nabil Al-Kilani underestimated the feasibility of certificates in light of the small percentage of marriage, according to what he sees.
"The percentage of marriage is already low, without any psychological or health certificate," he said.
The percentage of marriage is low at all, without any psychological or health certificate.
— nabil (@nabilkelany) February 23, 2022