has been one of the most persistent and negative stereotypes of Muslims.And while it does not tell anything resembling a complete story, this image has a basis in reality. So-called triple divorce, while widely considered blameworthy even among the earliest Muslims, is nonetheless still practiced in many places. Recent controversies over its use have erupted in India and in Malaysia. In the former case, the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board considered whether to declare that all such triple pronouncements would be considered to effect only a single divorce; in the latter case, the issue at stake was whether such divorces were valid if delivered via text mes- sage. Both situations were complicated by the intricate and multi- layered relationship between civil and religious law, a tension that exists within every Muslim community to a greater or lesserlesser evils: divorce in islamic ethics 25extent.3 Divorce is a contested issue for Muslims in nations where personal laws are ostensibly religious as well as in those places, such as the United States, where civil law alone holds formal sway.
