Donald Trump praised Saudi Arabia’s Shariah Law for making it easy for men to get divorced

'Saudi Arabia sounds like a very good place to get a divorce. I’m Donald Trump and that’s the real deal'

In Saudi Arabia, men have a unilateral right to divorce their wives without needing any legal justification, with the divorce being immediately effective (AFP/Getty Images)

Twice divorced, thrice married, it may come as no surprise that Donald Trump has applauded Saudi Arabia’s Shariah Law for making it easy for men to get divorced.

Between 2004 and 2008, the Republican presidential candidate recorded a daily 60-second commentary titled Trumped! which was broadcast on hundreds of radio stations across America in which he disclosed his views on a broad range of issues.

Trawling through the episodes, the Wall Street Journal has now published a recording which contains Mr Trump’s views on the complex relationship between Shariah Law and marriage.

In the episode, the billionaire businessman delivers his own understanding of Shariah Law, claiming a Saudi man divorced his wife for watching a television show alone because he perceived it as equivalent to being alone with another man.

“I’ve heard a lot of different grounds for divorce but here’s a new one - a man in Saudi Arabia divorced his wife for watching a television show when she was at home alone,” Mr Trump said on the programme. “There are a lot of male chauvinists in this country who really agree with what is going on over there, they want their woman only in the kitchen. “

“The problem was that the show was hosted by a man and apparently the husband thought it was an immoral act that his wife was watching this programme all by herself,” he continued. “The man ended his marriage on the grounds that his wife was basically alone with an unrelated man, an act which is forbidden under the strict Islamic law enforced in the ultra-conservative kingdom."

“Men in Saudi Arabia have the authority to divorce their wives without going to the courts. I guess that would also mean they don’t need prenuptial agreements. The fact is no courts - no judges. Saudi Arabia sounds like a very good place to get a divorce. I’m Donald Trump and that’s the real deal,” he concluded.

According to the UN's Spring Forward For Women programme, in Saudi Arabia men have a unilateral right to divorce their wives without needing any legal justification, with the divorce being immediately effective. Nevertheless, the man is reportedly obliged to provide financial support for the divorced wife for a total period of four months and ten days.

The Independent contacted a representative of Mr Trump for comment.