Activists hit out at Union govt on triple talaq

Groups supporting the abolition of triple talaq among the Muslim community have called the Union government’s bid to examine the issue of uniform civil code (UCC) a ‘political game’.

Groups supporting the abolition of triple talaq among the Muslim community have called the Union government’s bid to examine the issue of uniform civil code (UCC) a ‘political game’.

At a press conference in the city on Wednesday, the activists from Muslims for Gender Justice sought to distance their efforts towards gender justice within the community on the triple talaq issue. (HT PHOTO)

Triple talaq is a form of divorce in which a Muslim man can divorce his wife simply by repeating “talaq” three times in one go. Women’s rights activists want to end the practice.

At a press conference in the city on Wednesday, the activists from Muslims for Gender Justice sought to distance their efforts towards gender justice within the community on the issue.

They argued that the Law Commission of India’s questionnaire seeking public opinion on various aspects of the UCC was an attempt to ‘communalise’ and ‘politicise’ gender-related issues.

The activists made it clear that, as of now, they are not in favour of a uniform civil law for the country.

“While the issue of gender justice is our core demand, we are not in favour of the UCC. It will be a long process since it is going to come for the entire country. We doubt the intention of the state when it talks about the UCC. We need a separate legislation, which is based on the Quran to resolve the problem of Muslim women,” said Noorjehan Safiya Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, which has been campaigning for reformation of Muslim marriage and divorce, including its codification.

The activists also raised doubts over the BJP government’s intentions behind reviving the UCC debate. “The stated objective [of the Law Commission’s questionnaire] to ‘endeavour’ to ‘harmonise the various cultural practices’ ominously sounds like the ‘one nation, one culture’ mantra of the Sangh Parivar,” read a statement by Muslims for Gender Justice.