DOHA: Spying by wives on their husbands is one of the main reasons of marital discord and the high rate of divorce
in Qatar.
Sociologists say it all begins with wives checking their husbands’ mobile phone calls and messages on the sly to see who he has been interacting with.
This gradually becomes a habit with women and that is how suspicion takes root. This leads to frequent fights and marital discord, say sociologists.
“It is a habit with many husbands to delete messages and phone calls from their mobile handsets before they get home,” says Khalil Salem.
This is because their wives keep a close track on their phones and even check their email messages, Salem told a local Arabic daily in comments published yesterday.
But if men think they are smart, women are smarter. “They have got their own way of finding out what their husbands are up to,” said Rashid Mohanna.
A woman who gave her name as Noora Al Afai said that there are husbands who feel uneasy when they get a call from a woman they are friendly with, and that shows in their body language.
“The body language of such a husband changes immediately after he gets a call from a woman he is friendly with and his wife is with him,” Al Afai said.
“For instance, if a husband is holding a glass of water and he sees a call on his cell phone from such a woman, his hand begins to shake and that becomes so awkward for the wife to notice and suspect,” she added.
Many a time the wife makes a mental note of the time when such a call is received and after patiently waiting for hours when she finally gets a chance she would check see the number. She would then make her own enquiry.
Another woman who gave her name as Umm Hamad (mother of Hamad) narrated how she lost her husband for a year and pushed him into marrying a woman he was friendly with.
“I got a recording device installed in the living room and waited for long and eventually caught my husband. He used to talk to a woman.
“I confronted him with this solid evidence and the result was that he deserted me and married that woman he used to talk to,” said Umm Hamad.
“But he returned to me only after a year. It was my mistake. I forced him into that relationship,” Umm Hamad said ruefully.
Sociologists say women must respect their husbands’ privacy and must not check their mobile phones and emails.
“Mutual respect is needed to keep a marriage solid and successful,” Susan Hussein told the daily.
The Peninsula
