A woman has been separated, but not divorced, from her husband for some time and does not anticipate reuniting with him again in the near future, and she feels that she is in need of a husband to care for and protect her from being robbed or assaulted because of the difficult circumstances she is experiencing. Can she obtain a divorce from her current husband through the religious authority (al-hakim al-shari) so that she can remarry?
If the husband abandoned her, then it is permissible for her to raise her case with the religious authority (al-hakim al-shari), who will oblige the husband to do one of two things: either to cease her abandonment or divorce her. If he absolutely refuses both and there is no way to compel him to do either, then the religious authority is permitted to divorce her from the husband based on her request for it. However, if she is the one who left her husband without a valid reason, then there is no justification for her to get a divorce from him through the religious authority.