Muslims up in arms against Centre’s move on talaq

Question “unnecessary intervention” in civil matters like divorce

Muslims have criticised the Centre’s efforts in amending the Sharia (Muslim Personal Law) by moving the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in Parliament, calling it “unnecessary intervention” in civil matters.

They said it was a futile effort as 99.5% of Muslim women were opposing the Bill. Even if it was passed, they would abide by the Sharia, they said: “We will oppose the amendment tooth and nail to protect our Sharia.”

Former chairman of AP Urdu Academy and All India Muslim Peronal Law Board executive member Mohammed Raheemuddin Ansari said Muslims would not accept changes in the personal law and protect it from the Government as well as the judiciary. Marriage and divorce were purely civil matters, as previously confirmed by the Supreme Court.

“The amendment imposing three-year rigorous imprisonment (on men resorting to triple talaq) is not correct. Who will protect the children if the husband is sent to prison? Last year, we sent 2.5 crore signatures of Muslim women opposing the amendment to the National Law Commission,” he said.

Opposing the Bill, the Muslim Personal Law board is organising “Tahffuz-e-Shariat and Islaha e Mashera” (public meeting and awareness programme) on a big scale at Eidgah in Nizamabad on Saturday and in Adilabad on Sunday. MP Assaduddin Owaisi, Raheemuddin Ansari, Muqbool Badesha Shuttari, Hameed Mohammed Khan, president Jamait e Islami, Telangana, and a galaxy of Muslim elders are expected to attend the meetings.

Meanwhile, Sadia Begum, principal of Women’s College here also said that a majority of women among Muslims were against the amendment as the Sharia itself protects women’s rights.

“Triple talaq is God’s gift to women as it is not valid if one says it three times at once. If a man wants to divorce his wife, he must pronounce talaq thrice at three different points of time with reasonable gaps between each utterance. In the meantime, there is a possibility that the couple will compromise and reunite. If people understand the Quran properly, they would not oppose triple talaq,” she said.