Muslim husbands who divorce their wives with a text message are cruel, Malaysia's minister for women and family affairs said today.

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil told the Star daily that attempts to divorce by SMS, were humiliating and disrespectful to wives, as well as an abuse of technology.

"While a husband has the right to divorce his wife, this should be done in a courteous and dignified manner, befitting the manner they had got married," she was quoted as saying in the newspaper.

"New technologies including the SMS should not be misused to send out a divorce declaration," she said, adding that text divorces could undermine the importance of marriage.

Under Malaysia's Islamic law, a man can divorce his wife with repeated verbal pronouncements known as "talaq".

Most honourable way

But Shahrizat called for talaq to be uttered in shariah or Islamic courts, saying it was the most honourable way to proceed, and not via SMS text messages.

Her comments came after a highly publicised court case this week of a popular local singer whose husband divorced her with an SMS text message.

The court ruled that the divorce message which read "I release you," was invalid after the husband reneged on his actions, and that the couple was still legally married.

In an ongoing row, rights groups in Malaysia have also expressed dismay over controversial Islamic family legislation passed by the nation's Parliament last year which they say undermines women's rights in a marriage.