'Divorce using SMS valid'

'Divorce using SMS valid'

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Muslim men can now seek a divorce just by sending a message to their spouses on their mobile phones, according to a senior cleric.

Divorce declarations sent via short message services (SMS) on mobile phones are valid, Hashim Yahya was quoted as saying by Friday's edition of the Malay-language Berita Harian.

Under Islamic laws, Muslim men who want a separation must first make a simple declaration -- "I divorce you" -- to their wives, before taking it to a sharia court.

Muslim women who receive the divorce messages must report to the sharia courts, which would then validate the declarations with both husband and wife, he added.

Malaysia's move to validate divorce declarations via mobile phones followed a recent similar decision by Singapore to accept such divorce messages, the newspaper said.