KUALA LUMPUR, 1 August 2003 — Malaysia plans to ban the act of divorcing through the use of mobile phone text messages, after controversy was sparked by an Islamic court ruling that it was acceptable, news reports said yesterday.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the Cabinet had agreed that Muslim men would be barred from divorcing their wives via the short messaging system (SMS) as the act should be handled in a more personal manner, such as face-to-face.
“We decided that while it may be correct from other angles, it is not the way to get a divorce,” Mahathir was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
The government also planned to pass new laws to prevent divorce declarations through SMS and other electronic media such as e-mail and fax, the report said.
Muslims wishing to end their marriage are required to declare their intentions three times before the divorce is deemed legal.
