Okaz

According to Okaz sources, when the personal status court sends an SMS to wives in the case of divorce, the actual message does not mention divorce. It merely tells the wife that an official document has been issued in her name with a number and date. It will direct her to the place she needs to visit to receive more information.

This reminds me of judges in Egyptian courts who transfer a case to the Grand Mufti of Egypt. This actually means that the decision of the court against the defendant is death.

Recently married wives receive a clear SMS with their marriage contract registered with the name and identification number of their husband. The SMS will also provide a link to allow them to evaluate the service. However, a divorce SMS will not include a link to evaluate the service because it is assumed that the result is a disaster and that the wife will be in emotional shock and incapable of evaluating anything, unless, of course, she is happy to be divorced.

The wife of a man who wants to marry another woman will not receive an SMS about her husband’s new marriage, but if there is a technical glitch, that SMS could reach the first wife. In this way, the man will have multiple problems as well as multiple wives.

The aim of the SMS service is to familiarize women with their social status and the marriage contract. In the past, men used to divorce their wives without them knowing and that is unfair and a violation of their rights.