Ending an Evil Practice

The Rajya Sabha's seal of approval on the instant triple talaq bill is certainly a major step in the direction of social reform. It would have been better if the opposition had not dug in its heels against the bill and had instead joined in telling the Muslim community that the time had come to end this evil practice. Could anything be stranger than several opposition parties choosing to stand with those Muslim community leaders who argued that instant triple talaq is wrong, yet no move should be made to end it?

Instant triple talaq is one of those social evils that reduce women to second-class citizens. Can any practice that gives a man the right to abandon his wife in one stroke be called religiously sanctioned? Because the practice was prevalent, Muslim women lived in constant fear about their married future. Worse still, when they were divorced with three utterances in one go, they were virtually thrown onto the street, and in that condition they rarely received any help.

It was unfortunate that Muslim leaders and clerics chose to support instant triple talaq instead of standing by the women of their own community. Given this attitude, it had become necessary to make instant triple talaq a punishable offence. The need grew all the more because such divorces continued even after the Supreme Court declared instant triple talaq invalid. In a way, this was a direct challenge to the Supreme Court.

Those who offered all kinds of arguments against criminalising instant triple talaq were deliberately ignoring the fact that demanding dowry is also a punishable offence. When society refuses to cooperate in eliminating social evils, it becomes necessary to turn to legal remedies.

It is hoped that once the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill becomes law, cases of instant triple talaq will stop. For that to happen, Muslim youth must come forward, because a society progresses only when its women receive dignity and respect. Now that Muslim women too are about to be empowered with rights, it becomes necessary to move forward towards a Uniform Civil Code as well.