March 02, 2007

Islam: Divorce by Text Message Okay! Celebrities flock to Dubai

Islam's highest cleric in the "moderate" state of Dubai issued a fatwa yesterday permitting the country's Muslim men to divorce their wives through text messaging. The Grand Mufti Ahmed al-Haddad, in a written statement, said that phone SMS messaging was no different than written declarations of divorce. He also declared that religious authorities could judge the divorce over a mobile phone.

Islamic law only requires that a husband repeat the phrase "I divorce you" three times for a marriage to end.

The Jawa Report suspects this is Dubai's latest attempt to attract wealthy, mistress laiden, foreigners to the country. Under Islamic law a man may have several wives. And under some interpretations of Islamic law (for Shias, especially) a man may have a "temporary wife".

We can see rich and drunken celebraties flocking to Dubai for quick polygomous marriages, and even quicker divorces! Alas, what is good for the goose is not good for the gander in Dubai. As Mike over at MEMRI notes, only the husband can drop the wife in this oh-so-convenient manner.

Sorry Britney Spears, Dubai is not the answer to your K-Fed problems. Because, as it turns out, K-Fed actually found out Britney was leaving him through a text message she sent.

But Bobby Brown might want to think about visiting the kingdom right about now.

By Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. at 04:01 PM | |