Members of the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Muslim Joint Action Committee on Wednesday said the proposed Uniform Civil Code was not acceptable.
Addressing the media, the Committee members said Muslim marriage ‘nikah’ was a civil contract under Shariah. It had enormous sanctity for Muslims but this contract may not essentially be permanent and there may emerge circumstances that demand breaking of it.
Islam advocated continuation of the contract for lifetime, but it did permit divorce in unavoidable circumstances. The proposed code was not the answer.
The proposal aimed at replacing the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community in India with a common set governing every citizen. These laws are distinguished from public law and cover marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance.
They said to protect women’s rights, there were other rights like The Domestic Violence Act 2005 and the Prevention of Dowry Act 1961 among other legal provisions.
Muslims were content with the word of Shariah and would not agree to any additions or deletions in the marriage law, they said.
