The cabinet feels that divorce among Muslim couples should not be done via the short messaging service (SMS), said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.

The premier told reporters that the decision was reached during the weekly cabinet meeting this morning.

"The cabinet decided that while it may be correct from other angles, it is not the way to get divorced," he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

The issue became a hot topic following the decision by the East Gombak Syariah lower court on July 24 that a divorce declared via SMS was valid, provided it was verified by the court.

Syariah judge Mohamad Fauzi Ismail ruled that the 18-month marriage between Azida Fazlina Abdul Latif and Shamsudin Latif was annulled when Shamsudin sent Azida Fazlina an SMS stating "Kalau engkau tak keluar dari rumah mak bapak engkau, jatuh talak tiga." (If you do not leave your parents' house, you will be divorced).

At a speech yesterday, Mahathir said communications technology should not be abused, such as divorcing via SMS.

Clear picture

Meanwhile, Women and Family Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the premier had raised the matter at the cabinet meeting before she could do.

"He gave a clear picture that divorce via SMS is not a culture or a way that we would want to use in Malaysia," she added.

According to Shahrizat, such a move was not only an insult to women but could also tarnish the image of Syariah laws besides giving a bad impression of Muslim men in Malaysia.

"Actually, Muslim men in our country uphold the Muslim spirit. Only a few give Islam a bad name," she said.

The minister added that Muslim men were generally caring and have great respect for their spouses and mothers "but this one or two cases gives them a bad impression."

However, Sharizat refused to pin the blame on anybody regarding the SMS issue and said that it was a "question of interpretation."