SEELYE: Questions include whether it\u2019s permissible to find a spouse through the Internet. Can a man divorce his wife in a text message? And what about Internet chatting? Flirting between men and women is forbidden in Islam, but can they chat online? According to clerics here, it\u2019s best if a third party monitors the chat.<\/p>\n
ABU MALIH (through translator): The Qur\u2019an did not mention these details in their entirety, but it guides us in our advice.<\/p>\n
SEELYE: But critics question the advice being given. Islam Online may be using modern technology, but it\u2019s spreading a very traditional message. The cleric who founded the site, Yousef Qaradawi, is considered a moderate in the region. But his fatwas have opposed women traveling alone without a male guardian, and he\u2019s ruled against women being heads of state.<\/p>\n
For secular Muslims like Dalia Ziade, such views are decidedly anti-modern. Ziade is a human rights activist. The 26-year-old accuses religious institutions in Egypt of spreading fundamentalist beliefs, like the veiling of women.<\/p>\n