MUMBAI: More than 200 Muslim men from across the country have lent their support to women who are campaigning for the abolition of triple talaq, a practice where the husband can unilaterally end a marriage by repeating the word talaq, or divorce, thrice.
The group ‘Muslim Men for Gender Justice’, consisting of lawyers, doctors, students, businessmen and film makers, released a statement on Wednesday.
The statement supports the campaign by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and other groups for the abolition of triple talaq and nikaah halala, which says that a couple divorced through triple talaq cannot remarry unless the woman marries again and gets separated from her second husband.
The men have said that triple talaq violates constitutional principles of gender parity and non-discrimination. They have said that the practice is both un-quranic and un-constitutional. They said that while triple talaq, also called instant divorce, is banned in more than 21 countries including Pakistan, Indian religious leaders wanted it to be continued.
“Religious and patriarchal institutions, across religions, are not going to change, and they have to be compelled to change,” said Irfan Engineer of Institute of Islamic Studies, Mumbai, who has signed the statement.
{{/usCountry}}“Religious and patriarchal institutions, across religions, are not going to change, and they have to be compelled to change,” said Irfan Engineer of Institute of Islamic Studies, Mumbai, who has signed the statement.
{{/usCountry}}Lyricist Hasan Kamal who signed the statement said that they have been campaigning since 2003 to get triple talaq banned.
“When we spoke to some scholars in the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, to our astonishment we found that they agreed with us but did not have a majority in the board,” said Kamal.