The Supreme Court’s verdict on Tuesday banning the practice of triple talaq has evoked mixed reactions from senior Muslim leaders and Islamic feminists in Tamil Nadu.
Disagreeing with the notion that the ban is an attempt to implement Uniform Civil Code, lawyer and former AIADMK MLA Bader Sayeed said, “It is an historic judgment and a great boon to Muslim women. It will prevent harassment of Muslim women in the name of triple talaq. Quite simply, this is about gender justice. What we are seeing now is that the men are getting nervous. This is about gender justice.”
The Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, welcomed the “bold judgement” saying that there is no triple talaq at one go in Islam. “The procedure for talaq is given in great detail in the noble Koran and it is also cumbersome. It cannot be played around with or taken very lightly either by the married couple or while issuing fatwa by the learned Ulema (learned Islamic scholars),” he said.
‘Rise above ideologies’
The Nawab called upon his Muslim brethren and learned Ulema of various schools of thought, in particular, to rise above their sectarian ideologies and whole-heartedly hail the verdict.
However, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi president M. H. Jawahirullah said the verdict was an attempt to impose a uniform civil code in India through the back door. In a statement, he said, “The Supreme Court’s verdict asking Parliament to enact a law within the next six months will pave way for more confusion. However, there is a chance that Centre could use the Law Commission to bring in Uniform Civil Code through the back door.”
While he said the SC had only banned the triple talaq and not the entire Muslim Personal Law, Mr. Jawahirullah said, “If the BJP tries to implement the Uniform Civil Code, all secular parties in India should get together and oppose it.” Fathima Muzzafer, member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said that she was disappointed with the verdict.
