An integral element of a Muslim marriage is the promise of a monetary gift by the husband and his family to the bride. Over the years there has been significant disagreement in the courts in the U.S. on whether such an award is enforceable in a divorce. Until recently many courts have analogized the Mahr as a premarital agreement, subject to the requirements of the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act. John Ballew tried this issue to the Scottsbluff County District Court as part of the divorce and was successful in obtaining enforcement of an unpaid award of Mahr in the amount of $100,000 as part of the Decree of Dissolution of Marriage. This is the first known Nebraska ruling enforcing the Mahr as something other than a premarital contract.
