I don’t need to say that it’s a landmark day today, thanks to Supreme Court’s verdict stating that triple ‘talaq’ is illegal. For the uninitiated, let me save you the effort of Googling what triple ‘talaq’ is — it is the act of a Muslim man divorcing his wife by saying the words ‘talaq’ three times, as you must have seen in a lot of movies. Now I will not get into the Islamic decree of this act, because that is a whole separate subject of study, but I will definitely comment on why, as a Muslim woman (but mostly as a woman) this verdict means a lot to me. People have exploited this triple talaq element to the extent that men have been known to divorce their wives over Skype, WhatsApp and other social media platforms. Even without going into what Quraan says about the process of ‘talaq’, breaking a relationship without even having the courtesy of doing it in person, is inhuman. And that is why this verdict was so awaited. Even though it comes way too late, in India, it is definitely better late than never.
What I was actually looking forward to was a similarly strong stand against ‘halala’. Again, don’t Google just yet. Halala states that if a Muslim woman wishes to marry her ex-husband after divorce, she needs to marry another Muslim and then marry her former husband. Yes, everything that you are thinking is exactly what happens in this case. Vulnerable women are made to be ‘overnight’ brides for more-than-willing to help maulvis (religious clerics). Women have been voicing their disgust and opinion against this practice since long, but then again, the rulemakers are the the maulvis, self-acclaimed religious scholars, so it is not surprising that the voices of women are lost.
I spoke to a lot of women, Muslim and others, on what they feel about this entire Halala practice, and not one woman can make sense of it. We live in a democratic country, which is in no way under the Shariah law. When we follow everything that a democratic system entails, why not equal rights and rules for women, irrespective their religion. Why can’t the Muslim women in India be free of a demeaning practice that reduces them to nothing more than an object open for proprietorship? While I wholeheartedly approve the Supreme Court’s verdict against the practice of triple talaq, I hope the SC makes an equally sensible and humane decision regarding Halala.
Please share your opinion in the comment section.
Image: Shutterstock