Talaaq or divorce is always looked down upon in Islam, however, it is a means by which two people who cannot accommodate with each other can seek freedom from the ties of marriage. Oral Talaaq is increasingly becoming common in Islam, where men are allowed to utter three words and become free from the ties of marriage. However, this method is quite different from the ones which are cited in the Holy book. Men in India and all over the world have taken advantage of polygamy and oral talaaq which is why many women are left homeless.
The uneducated Muslims get their daughters married at a really early age, when most of them have not completed their education and have no means of earning. A very common malpractice in the Muslim society is polygamy; where a man is allowed to marry 4 times, after seeking the permission of his early wife(s). Most men, do not pay heed to the many clauses attached to polygamy and use this provision for their benefits. The oral talaaq also has a number of clauses attached to it, but none of the men care to pay attention to it as well.
Video calling has become a tool in the hand of such men who utter the three words of Talaaq on Skype or other virtual medium. 92% women across India have an unequivocal stand against this law, because of which most women have to bear the brunt. Since most girls are married at a very tender age, they do not receive the kind of education, by means of which they can run a livelihood, also, mostly they are laden with the responsibility of children within one or two years of marriage. In case the husband divorces his wife under such circumstance, the girl has nowhere to go.
Women belonging to the lower middle class or poor families do not even receive support from their parents. Usually Indian parents treat their daughters to be a responsibility and in most cases a burden; and do not take their daughters back after divorce. Such injustice with women, especially in the Muslim society has become rampant, which is why they are standing united against this Muslim personal law.
A study conducted across 10 states by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) — working for reforms in Muslim personal law — stated that most women who were divorced were economically and socially disadvantaged. Most of them were either married before 18 years of age, and had faced domestic violence.
“In 2014, of the 235 cases that came to women Sharia adalats that we run, 80% were of oral talaq,” author of the study Zakia Soman said.
“Government has molly-coddled and appeased those groups which have taken upon themselves to speak for the community. It is our constitutional right. For groups that cite religious freedom as an argument, it is at the expense of women’s rights,” added Soman.
Co-author Noorjehan Safia Niaz said, “An overwhelming number of women demand reforms in Muslim personal law. They want an elaborate codified law based on the Quranic justice framework to cover matters such as age of marriage, divorce procedures, polygamy, maintenance and custody of children.”
Such malpractices in the Muslim society need immediate reforms, or else the place of Muslim women in the society will keep on deteriorating. It is high-time the government pays attention to such social problems and intervenes in order to make the life of Muslim women easier.
