'Don't blame Facebook for divorces'
Reports by Ili Liyana Mokhtar
SOCIAL networking sites such as Facebook cannot be blamed entirely for the rising number of divorces among Muslims, the Dewan Negara was told yesterday.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said based on research conducted by the religious authorities, divorces in the country were mostly because of irreconcilable differences, irresponsible spouses, polygamy, drug abuse and extra-marital affairs.
"Facebook is only a small contributing factor, that is why at the pre-marriage courses, we try to educate couples on issues that will crop up during a marriage and how to deal with them in a mature and responsible manner," she said in reply to a supplementary question by Senator Ahmad Husin.
Ahmad had asked if the popularity of social networking sites could be a major factor in divorces among young Muslim couples as they had the opportunity to look up old flames.
Earlier, replying to a question from Senator Datuk Fatimah Hamat, Mashitah said 135,136 Muslim marriages were registered in 2009 and 27,116 divorces.
She added that Selangor had the highest number of divorces at 4,614, followed by Kedah (2,749) and Johor (2,578).
To a suggestion by Fatimah that longer pre-marriage courses be provided because of the rising number of divorces, Mashitah said: "There is nothing surprising about the figures. Divorce is a legal and legitimate way to end a bad marriage.
"And according to research, the two-day pre-marriage courses are effective and the religious authorities have also conducted various activities to strengthen the family institution, including seminars, forums, conferences and workshops."
The religious authorities have also published pamphlets and brochures on marriage-related topics for the public.
"We can only help so much. In the end, making a marriage work depends on the couple."
Read more: 'Don't blame Facebook for divorces' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/20dv/Article#ixzz1KmEbJFGT
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