Khul' they believe to be valid reasons for divorce. Views on role of the court and judge varies across schools, depending on whether or not the divorce is considered a type of talaq (husband's repudiation of the marriage) or judicial annulment. If the husband does not consent to the divorce, a woman often goes to a mediating third party, such as an imam. Only a person versed in Islamic law i.e. a qadi, or Islamic Sharia court judge, can grant the khulʿ without the husband’s consent. When petition for khulʿ is taken to the Sharia courts, a judge is permitted to
Application of Islamic law by country for personal status matters. A 2008 law stipulates that the testimonies of men and women before a court are equal. Oman's criminal law is based on a combination of Sharia and English common law. Omani commercial law is largely based on Sharia; Article 5 of its Law of Commerce defaults to primacy of Sharia in cases of confusion, silence or conflict. Until 1978 Islamic law was largely restricted to personal status issues. Zia ul Haq introduced Sharia courts and made far reaching changes in the criminal justice system. Articles 203a to 203j of the constitution establish a sharia court with