Women protest Muslim Law Board’s support for triple talaq and polygamy

Noorjehan Niaz, founder of the Bharatiya Mahila Muslim Andolan (BMMA), who led the protests, said that the statements mentioned by AIMPLB, in its affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, are regressive and anti-women.

Muslim women gathered at Azad Maidan on Wednesday afternoon to protest against comments made by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) which supported triple talaq and polygamy. AIMPLB is a non-governmental body, constituted in 1973, which oversees the application of Muslim personal law

The Muslim clergy must realise the aspirations of progressive Muslim men and women, said Feroze Mithiborwala of Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye Forum. (HT Photo for representation)

Noorjehan Niaz, founder of the Bharatiya Mahila Muslim Andolan (BMMA), who led the protests, said that the statements mentioned by AIMPLB, in its affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, are regressive and anti-women. “We want the group to issue apology to all Muslim women for making ridiculous statements such as, polygamy is a social need. They also said that triple talaq is a better recourse than men resorting to illegal ways of getting rid of wives,” said Niaz.

Feroze Mithiborwala of Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye Forum, a group formed to support BMMA’s petition in the Bombay High Court for equal entry rights to women at Haji Ali, said that the Muslim clergy must realise the aspirations of progressive Muslim men and women. “The Bombay High Court’s verdict on allowing women to enter the shrine’s sanctum sanctorum proved that religious norms that are against gender equality will need to undergo social reforms,” he said.