Revealing marriage woes online paints Islam negatively, say lawyers
SHAH ALAM - Marriage woes being aired on social media will paint a negative image towards Islam and the Muslim community.
According to lawyers contacted by Sinar Daily, it is legal for a husband to divorce his wife through social media given that he fulfills the elements of divorce - divorce proclamation recitation with the requisite intention to divorce his wife and that two Muslim men bear witness to it.
The couple will still need to go to court to verify divorce claims with the proper evidence.
However, they all agreed that it is not the ideal way as it will paint Islam in a bad light and give Muslims a bad name.
Lawyer Fatihah Jamhari said such actions were damaging towards the religion as it does not reflect the teachings of Islam.
"The teachings of Islam are through Quran and Sunnah - The Quran has mentioned about being just in all our dealings and the Sunnah specifically said the best among men are those who are the best to their wives which includes dealing fairly towards her even in separation," she said.
Fatihah pointed out that weak men in Islam have done a great disservice to the name of Islam and its teachings.
"They have done so by either not performing their duties properly or by acting without manners in their dealings including in divorces," she explained.
"It brings disrepute to Muslim men's credibility as a whole and I think the condemnation, criticism, or advice shouldn't come from women but from among men themselves," she added.
Lawyer Ainie Haziqah agrees.
Ainie said such actions not only will give the religion a bad reputation but will also negatively impact the children ( if they are any from the marriage) and the family institution.
"Marriage is a sacred process, hence we need to always do right when things don’t go well and end up in divorce," she said.
Lawyer Fahri Azzat echoed these views saying that this action is highly disrespectful to the marriage and the spouse, adding that it does not keep with Islamic morality.
"No one should be airing their personal dirty laundry in public. It is highly distasteful," he said.
"If they were respectful, they will keep it private between them and quietly divorce each other should they were not able to reconcile," he added.
He explained that couples should approach their divorce the same way they did their marriage - meet their parents to explain, treat the in-laws with respect and love, do not speak bad about the spouse, encourage the children to respect and continue to love both parents.
"Muslims are supposed to behave modestly, reasonably and always mindful of Allah who is closer to us than our jugular vein," he stressed.
Recently, there have been some marriage incidents being broadcasted on social media including those of fights and divorces.
The most talked about wasactress Puteri Sarah Liyana who has filed for divorce from her producer and director husband Syamsul Yusof due to the presence of a third party.
Their divorce process has been reported by media widely and became a trending topic on online platforms.
Another case was in April 2022 where DJ Wong or his real name, Noor Aziz Johari who appeared live on Facebook and announced that he has divorced his wife, DJ Sal with a triple talaq.
He also revealed that he left the house willingly because he was facing personal problems with his wife.
