Politicians raising triple talaq issue for vote bank: Muslim cleric

Moradabad/Ahmedabad: (Uttar Pradesh/Gujarat) [India], Feb. 6 (ANI): Terming the Central Government's stand to ban triple talaq as a 'vote bank politics', Muslim cleric Hina Zaheer on Monday said the leaders are politicising the issue to woo the voters ahead of the assembly elections. "The matter of triple talaq is sub-judice and thus no one can take law into his/her hand. Why leaders are politicising the issue. We as Muslim women are persistently demanding to follow the talaq procedure as per the Quran. The matter is being raised by the politicians at a time when elections are around the corner and this clearly shows that this is mere a vote bank politics. They are just trying to woo voters in the name of triple talaq," Zaheer told ANI. Meanwhile, women activist Zakia Soman called for an action against triple talaq saying that it is not an issue of politics and must be restricted. "It is necessary to prohibit such practices. It is violation of human rights. Triple talaq is not valid in Shia community. One sided and oral talaq is not at all relevant. It is to understand that triple talaq is a injustice not just against women but against a daughter, sister, mother. The question that arises here is gender justice. The Muslim women have awakened now," Soman told ANI. Vowing to ban triple talaq after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad yesterday said that triple talaq is a major issue in the state, adding that it is a practice that is still harassing women even after 70 years of freedom. Several women have filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking the quashing of the triple talaq practice. The Central Government has also told the top court that it is against gender injustice and for equality between men and women under the Constitution. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has defended the practice, saying it is better to divorce a woman than kill her. "The rights bestowed by religion can't be questioned in a court of law," it said. In December last year, the Allahabad High Court termed the Islamic practice of divorcing a woman by uttering the word "talaq" thrice as "unconstitutional". The court further observed that the triple talaq practice sanctioned under Muslim Personal Law that governs marriage, property and divorce violates the rights of Muslim women. "Triple talaq is unconstitutional, it violates the rights of Muslim women," ruled the High Court, adding that no personal law board is above the Constitution. (ANI)