Muslim women protest against triple talaq bill

PATNA: Hundreds of

Muslim women

on Sunday participated in a silent procession against Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) bill, 2017 as well as President Ram Nath Kovind’s statement in favour of the bill.

The procession was jointly organized by the women’s wing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Bihar Chapter and Rashtriya Secular Seva Manch. They also handed over a memorandum to ADM (law & order) Md Moizuddin to submit it to governor Satya Pal Malik.

Supported by 28 other voluntary women organizations, the procession started from Patna Science College and concluded near Sabzi Bagh on Ashok Rajpath. Although the organization had called for a silent procession, the protesters shouted slogans against the government’s bill.

They urged the government to delete the paragraph on Muslim women from the President’s address to the Parliament and demanded the withdrawal of the bill. “Muslim women’s honour was a victim of political upmanship. Now the country has the opportunity to free them from this situation … My government tabled a bill on triple talaq in Parliament and I hope it will become a law soon. After the law comes into force, the Muslim daughter and sister can live a life free of fear and dignity,” President Kovind had said in his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament.

“The content of the bill is a violation of Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution. The bill is antisocial as it converts a civil matter to a criminal offence. The government is directly interfering with the Muslim personal law,” the convener of AIMPLB women’s wing, Mahjabeen Naaz, said and added that the President’s statement had deeply hurt the religious sentiment of Muslims in the country and was a direct attack on the largest minority section in the country.

“The bill is anti-women and anti-children. Considering that the government wants to make instant talaq illegal, how will the husband pay a living allowance to the wife and children when he is in jail for three years?” Naaz questioned.

Another member of the AIMPLB women’s wing, Huda Rawal explained that there is no concept of instant talaq mentioned in the Quran or Hadith. “Talaq can only be given twice. There is a time period (iddat) of three months and ten days between the two talaqs. In between, efforts are made for reconciliation between husband and wife. Although talaq has been made halal (legal), it is the most hated thing before Allah and should only be carried out as the last resort,” she said. Rawal said every religion has some elements which twist the law as per their own personal needs.