(AFP) Muslims cannot divorce their wives through short message services (SMS) on mobile phones, a senior official has ruled.

Hamid Othman, religious adviser to the prime minister, was quoted by Thursday's Star daily as saying divorce declarations sent through SMS were not allowed although they were acceptable under Islamic law.

He described sending a divorce message through a mobile phone as "an irresponsible act, dangerous and should not be tolerated".

"We have adequate laws to curb rash moves by Muslim men to divorce their wives without justification," Hamid said.

Last week a senior local cleric was quoted as saying divorce declarations sent through SMS were valid under Islamic law and were therefore legal and binding, sparking criticism from women's groups.

Women and Family Development minister Shahrizat Jalil was quoted by the Star as saying divorce should not be taken lightly and SMS messages were not the way to deal with the issue.

Nik Noriani from Sisters in Islam, a women's Islamic group, said that allowing a man to divorce his wife through an SMS made it appear that Islam encouraged divorce when it was actually discouraged.