Women activist seeks Salma Ansari's help to abolish Triple Talaq

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], Apr. 9 (ANI): Urging the Vice-President Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari to act like an ambassador in taking the word forward for abolition of triple talaq, Zakia Somen, co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), on Sunday said they want this 'malpractice' to come to a halt. Somen also held the religious leaders and clerics, who have taken the responsibility of spreading the Quranic teachings or spreading knowledge about the religion, responsible for not highlighting the fact that there is no triple talaq in the Quran. Being one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court seeking ban on triple talaq and nikah halala, Somen expressed disappointment over the continuation of the practice. "What we have heard in her statement is the truth but it is only half-truth. It is true that today the women are reading the Quran for themselves, reading the translations and discovering the Quranic teachings for themselves. The Muslim women today realizing that the Allah has not discriminated with them. They are understanding this by reading the Quran. This is one side of the story. The other side is that despite there being no mention of triple talaq in the Quran, it takes place in our lives," Somen told ANI. Somen urged the Parliament to form a Muslim family law, whereby gender justice and equality are upheld, and also the one that puts a ban on triple talaq and halala. "The Muslim women today are demanding justice. They expect they will get justice based on Quranic injunctions. They expect they will get justice as per constitutional provisions," she said. "We expect the Parliament of India to pass a Muslim family law whereby gender justice and equality is upheld, whereby it puts a ban on triple talaq and halala," she added. Joining the chorus of voices against triple talaq, Salma Ansari yesterday noted that saying talaq thrice does not amount to anything and further called on Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on the clerics for their views on Islam. "There can be no 'talaq' just because someone says 'talaq, talaq, talaq' three times," Ansari told reporters. "Whatever the maulana said you think it's true. You read the Quran in Arabic but never read its translations. Women should read the Quran, ponder on it, gain knowledge what the Shariat says and not just follow anyone blindly," she added. Ansari was participating in a program at Chacha Nehru Madarsa run by Aligarh's Al Noor charitable society. The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue that whether the Muslim Personal Law could be amended to provide relief to the Muslim women. The High Court also stated that the form of 'instant divorce' is 'most demeaning'. The Supreme Court is to hear multiple pleas challenging the validity of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy practices among Muslims community on May 11 by a Constitution bench during the summer vacation. Earlier, on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary. (ANI)