French Appellate Court Reverses Controversial Annulment

An appellate court in Douai in northern France yesterday reversed a decision by a lower court that had granted a Muslim husband an annulment when he discovered that his wife was not the virgin she had claimed to be. The lower court had held that the husband was misled "concerning essential qualities" of his wife. (See prior posting.) Agence France Press reports that now the wife supports the annulment. Many European parliament members complained however that the lower court decision amounted to unacceptable infringement of religion into the public sphere. French Justice Minister Rachida Dati says that, despite the government appeal of the case, the annulment would be acceptable on other non-religious grounds such as breach of trust between husband and wife.