Squandering Marital Movables: On Family and Criminal Law in Egypt

This essay focuses on the trousseau inventory (ayma) created by Egyptian Muslims at the time of marriage. Though not a legal requirement, creating the ayma is widespread as it proves the husband’s receipt of the wife’s property. After divorce, he must return the items listed in the inventory to her, and if he fails to do so, she may sue him for “squandering marital movables” (tabdīd manqūlāt zawjiyya), as stipulated in the Penal Code. In July 2022, when an Egyptian man posted a message suggesting that the ayma had been abolished, his post caused a huge outcry. In this essay, I address the social debate triggered by the post, introduce the case of an Egyptian woman who filed a tabdīd lawsuit to secure a divorce, and discuss judgments issued by the Court of Cassation on tabdīd cases. I argue that Egyptians use criminal law and courts to solve family disputes.