Seems, we are in the middle of the bewilderment!
Some are outwardly supporting and sending so many requests to sign the petition for the muslim personal law board and are against the uniform civil code, others are determined to have uniform civil code as the muslim personal law board supports triple talaq and it oppress muslim women.
Being a muslim and let me add to it, being a muslim woman myself, how I see this in perspective?
What I support?
But before I give my answer, I want you to read this piece till end as skipping the lines may land you up in other way round.
Let’s imagine a case of a middle class girl, though we can take the rich girl as well, but India is rich in poverty and ideally we should take the poor case but allow me to discuss the middle class family case and after reading it obviously it will be easy to conclude the condition of poor families.Let’s take a muslim girl named Asiya, who gets married and “as per society’s norm and pressure” she is supposed to carry the dowry with her, and by now her parents are all drenched in sweat as they have lost all the savings and has even taken the udhaar, due money from here and there.
Now, after some few years, Asiya becomes a mother of may be two or three kids, the life was okay, some ups and downs happens at every home but then one fine day, Asiya gets talaq, yes, the triple talaq from her husband that too at one go, and that means no waiting period between the talaq and and no reconciliation, yes that means the talaq not prescribed as per the process mentioned in Holy Quran.
Now, shattered and scattered , she went to her parent’s family, her parents, who are still under the debt, and living and surviving the inflation of capitalist society and needless to mention how much tough it is for even the middle class under capitalism to meet both ends.
The mental stress she herself endured because of talaq at one go, the added pressure of her parents, the responsibility of kids and of herself to carry forward all befell on her delicate shoulders, on top of it the fuel is added by the bad comments and belittling by the society as she is now “divorced” and much stigma is attached to it, you know “talaq shuda”. And on top of it she sees her husband having no issues, no weird interrogations from the society about talaq. Obviously, this all will lead a woman in depression and she is bound to feel outcasted and degraded and left and good for nothing type, so any voice which will oppose this concept of triple talaq which has no mention in Holy Quran as well, will give woman a valid reason to stand for and even if that means going for a uniform civil code.
I just tried to draw a rough picture of the big issue and atrocity carried behind the scenes which words cannot put down or do justice. And this was the sketch of a middle class girl, imagine the condition of poor class families?
Now, we have this muslim personal law board, which has its laws to deal with personal issues of muslims related to marriage, divorce, inheritance and etc.
NOW, the problem is that Islam is nowhere as a complete system, people out of some good intentions or emotions or attachment has made some personal law boards sort of things to maintain some personal practises, but actually those practises without Islam as a system which educates and cultures men to honour women, like for instance if they are in their nikah then they have to be careful as they have taken them under Allah’s trust and they will be held accountable for that, that system which edify the God consciousness and not “suno dil ki, azaad ho, jo dil chahe karo” approach and cultures men and women not to belittle each other and fear God with regards to it and honour each other and even if there happen issues which cannot be resolved and one cannot live under one roof then there is the way of talaq.
We know that Holy Quran has prescribed a way for talaq, the waiting periods and the leniency to reconcile if one feels that they divorced out of angst or it was a mistake.
But, this is also truth that talaq at one go, yes, “talaq, talaq, talaq” is also considered valid as at the time of second caliph of Islam, Umar r.a, such divorces used to happen and they were considered valid BUT Hazrat Umar r.a used to give heavy punishments like that of heavy lashes to such men who used to abandon the prescribed way of giving talaq in Holy Quran.
In addition to this the divorced, the weak, the widowed used to be the state’s responsibility to look after their basic needs.
And the divorcees were not considered as “bad women” or a “burden”, “a bojh”, on the contrary they used to have so many alliances that it was sometimes tough for them to choose.
Capitalism has really oppressed women and even if some people try to induce some part of Islam as “personal” laws then it adds more issues as if we follow part and leave the other major part we obviously are bound to get disgraced and humiliated.
Having said that all, I didnot mean to say that Iam in favour of uniform civil code or Iam against muslim personal law board or vice versa, it is just to give the third approach which perhaps we are lagging behind, some of us are either supporting it outwardly and others rejecting it straightforwardly but lets’s try to understand things in this holistic perspective as well.
Now, coming back to democratic India, where many of us are feeling that issues like banning triple talaq, muslim personal law board and uniform civil code are there for women liberation and women rights, then let’s have a quick look on how much oppression is happening under the cloak of liberation, and freedom, prostitutes are now called as sex workers so that they may feel liberated that they are working and professionals though many of the victims are dragged into it by relatives or society because of poverty, how callously they “liberated” by just changing the terms from prostitution to sex workers, and still after such liberation, they are still struggling with their basic rights in this free society of liberals whose thekeydaars in uniform (yes the policemen) are often the ones who plays, exploit the “sex workers” bodies without even paying them back the money. State sponsored riots, genocides and polarisation among communities on the basis of religion is the art of the secular nation, the question one need to ask to them is that where the rights of women goes then? Where are the rights of Akhlaq’s wife and daughter who was lynched on beef rumour? Where are the rights when men in uniform rapes the women of Kashmir, “the integral part of India”, where are then the voices and rights and such hue and cry? Where is the hue and cry when above eighteen can watch porns which has made the lives of so many innocent girls a living hell life nightmare, what about all those depressions which are being stilled in women through ads and commercials to look beautiful and desired by men and use this cream or that brand if you want to survive in this society, Where is the hue and cry, Where?
Coming back to the question from where I initially started –
What I support?
I support justice, Iam not against the selective oppression of women in selective cases, one should be against all sorts of oppression and not only on women but against all oppression be they upon men or children.
“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.”
Suran Nisa ayat 135 Holy Quran.
May Allah swt, AL Ghafoor, forgive our shortcomings and
May Allah swt, AL Haadi, The One who guides, guide us to straight path. Ameen
Must read on the issue of triple talaq
ما شا اللہ An Article well composed, doing justice to the subject of matter