April 23, 2017:
'Triple Talaq' is an Islamic practice where a man can divorce his wife by saying "talaq," the Arabic word for divorce, three times. This controversial practice is enough to explain how much the oppression of women in prevalent in the religion; not to mention Polygamy which exists within the religion till today. Rules of Islamic divorce such as 'Triple talaq' comes under Sharia Law but the question is- Is it in sync with the Islamic Law?
There is a huge debate about the validity or existence of the practice under Islamic Law. This oral, out-of-court divorce is not only a matter of injustice and unfair treatment towards women but also flags gender inequality.
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In the recent years, 'Triple Talaq' has been confronted with many legal challenges. When the government wishes to replace it with a new uniform civil code which would be applicable to every religion, Muslim groups have stiffly opposed it arguing that new uniform civil code is discrimination against them.
Even though India is known to be a home to one of the largest Muslim populations across the globe, but unlike most Muslim-majority countries, it has not banned the practice of triple talaq. It should be noted that major Islamic countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh have already banned the practice for years.
Mohsin Raza is the only Muslim face in the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government has gone so far as even taking on the validity of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). He has wondered as to why an NGO like this spread mistrust and confusions in Muslim community while proper constitutional mechanisms exist in India.
According to a survey conducted by 'Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Aandolan' (BMMA), 78% of Muslim women are unilaterally divorced and 63.9% marriages were reported to be orally and arbitrarily dissolved through social networks or letters.
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In 95% of the divorce cases, wives are left without any financial backup or no proper 'Mehr' (alimony) amount. Moreover, due to illiteracy and low educational qualifications, divorced women find it difficult to manage kids and earn a square meal for themselves.
Marrying at the early age reduces the chances of acquiring education and becoming economically sound. BMMA reported that over 39.8% of Muslim women are married before attaining the age of 15.
Getting married early augments the submissiveness of women to the monopoly of patriarchal elements that pose as 'religious leaders'. They portray rampant interpretations of the holy Quran and mislead the masses. But, Quranic principles and tenets of justice and fairness are misunderstood. The ground reality of a Muslim woman is dreadful and grim despite the holy teachings and rules.
It was also surveyed if Muslim women wanted to put an end to the practice of polygamy, Triple talaq, custody of kids and unilateral divorces. More than 90% of them voted to put a ban on all the unethical and unjust practices that are being conducted under the name of religion.
– by Himanshi Goyal of NewsGram
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