I read with interest the ruling by the Federal Territory Mufti that divorce via SMS is valid. The ruling sparked another round of criticisms from the so-called women's groups. Even Umno's Azalina Othman, who did not raise a voice at the injustices of the Internal Security Act against the wives of detainees, joined in, saying that the Mufti's ruling was 'unjust' to women.

Then came the all-binding ruling from none other than the Prime Minister's adviser on Islam, Abdul Hamid Othman. Without mincing his words that can be construed as openly going against the Islamic religion, Hamid said that although it was allowed in Syariah, it would not be allowed by the government! To me, this is a classic case that the government can step in and render even the Syariah null and void.

In my opinion, these 'spokespersons' of women in this country have failed to see the spirit in which the ruling was made. True, if such a practice allowing men to divorce their wives by some clicks on their cell phones is allowed, it would seem that divorce is a light matter.

The spokespersons, in their frenzy and one-track-mindedness, however, fail to see the other side of the coin, which appears to be more obvious. The ruling is in fact to protect Muslim women and to discourage Muslim men from even musing on the idea of divorcing their wives. There is a rising trend of divorce among Muslims in this country and part of the problem is due to marriages not being treated as a 'holy matrimony' but as a form of contract to facilitate staying together without being caught by our ever hard-working Jabatan Agama officers!

The ruling must be evaluated and seen in the light of the spirit in which Islam views divorce. Islam's stand on the issue of divorce is unique, in that it is a most despised act in the sight of God, yet it is allowed and not at all prohibited. This is why in some schools of thought in Islam, even the mere uttering of the word 'divorce', even in jest, can render the marriage null and void. That is also why some ulamas have held the view that only the men can have the final say in matters of divorce, taking into account, according to them, that women tend to be more emotional when quarrels break out and therefore may just utter the word.

Divorce, or talaq as the act is referred to by Syariah, does not lessen the man's responsibility, in fact, it invites a whole new set of responsibilities, such as paying the nafkah (maintenance). All ulamas , however, agree that divorce is something to be taken seriously and should not be uttered at all, unless and until both parties are sure that their marriage is doomed to fail.

The recent ruling that even typing out an SMS message of divorce is valid is completely in line with the Islamic spirit and is a measure that must be welcomed by all, especially Muslim women. It is also to show how high a place Islam gives to a woman's honour. Just think, how could any woman, if she had any dignity left in her, remain with a man if he types out a message via SMS that says "I divorce you"!

The knee-jerk reactions from a Syariah lawyer like Azalina Othman or a 'Muslim scholar' like Hamid Othman (incidentally both have same surnames, mind you!) is shocking.