(Stuff) A Wellington dentist who has to pay his ex-wife $212,095 under Sharia law after their overseas divorce should not have to under New Zealand laws, his lawyer says.
The landmark case being heard at the High Court in Wellington on Thursday was the first such case to come before the New Zealand courts.
The pair married in the United Arab Emirates, under Islamic or Sharia law, in December 2013.
A dower is a payment from a husband to a wife, while a dowry is from the wife to the husband.
Under the marriage contract signed in Dubai, Rafid Salih was to pay a prompt dower of about $12,000 to Rahla Hussein Amin Harder Almarzooqi at the start of their marriage.
