If man refers to wife as ‘mother’ or ‘sister,’ couple will be deemed divorced: Turkey’s top religious body

ISTANBUL

If a man refers to his wife as “mother” or “sister,” their marriage will be deemed divorced, the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) said in a fatwa issued on its official website on Dec. 25.

“If a man tells his wife that he sees her as a mother or sister, the man will be considered divorced from his wife. However, if they have not divorced before, they may come together with a new marriage,” it said.

Previously, Diyanet had issued a fatwa on divorce, stating that couples may get divorced via telephone call, fax, letter, text message or internet.

“Divorcing your spouse by saying ‘talaq’ three times via phone call, letter, SMS, internet and fax are as valid as saying it to their face. However, in this situation, the husband should not deny the divorce. If a woman is divorced through written methods such as a text message or letter, she should ensure that the message was sent by her husband,” Diyanet had said, in response to a question on its official website.