A Muslim girl who converted to Hinduism on December 30, 2016, over tortures following triple talaq is alleged to have been facing threat to life. Worried for her three-month-old son’s safety, she has gone into hiding.
After three months of the marriage to painter named Feroz in 2006, her husband started beating her on trifles, she alleged. During eight years of her marriage, she was forced to undergo three abortions. Her husband beat to death their two months old daughter.
After a few months of talaq, her husband rued that he had divorced her. Then he asked her to complete iddah of four months 10 days and Halala with his friend to make her able to remarry him. But when she completed these conditions, he refused to accept her. Rather she confined her into a room and started offering her to other men. Unable to bear the torture, she decided to fight for her rights.
“I am ready to debate clerics over triple talaq, iddah and Halala as these conditions are not mentioned in the Holy Quran. These are man-made rules to harass women in the name of Islam,” said Damini, who got this new name after conversion.
A resident of Kaila Bhatta locality under Kotwali police station of Ghaziabad, Damini then approched Jai Shiv Sena which helped her convert to Hinduism.
Amit Arya, the convenor of Jai Shiv Sena, told The Pioneer that he had sheltered the woman at an undisclosed place after threat to her life. “Before converting she claimed to have been tortured by her husband, who in a fit of rage uttered ‘talaq, talaq, talaq’ and left her with no means of sustenance in October 2014. Since then she is struggling for her survival and no cleric came forward to rescue her,” said Arya.
“On her inclination to change her religion, we announced a ceremony in Arya Samaj temple, but the district administration intervened and did not allow us to hold the function. They put the condition that the woman had to record her statement before the magistrate under CrPC 164. When we approached the city magistrate, he refused to record the statement on December 21,” said Arya.
“Then we organised a function at Arya Samaj temple where she was converted to Hinduism on December 30, 2016. She was renamed as Damini. Her three-month-old son was named Om in this function.
After this ceremony the local intelligence unit (lIU) of the district police has become active and is trying to locate the woman, but we have kept her at safe place after she had been threatened by unknown persons. Even the General Secretary of Jai Shiv Sena lalit Chaudhary got a threat on Whatsapp, claimed Arya.
“When she resisted his torture on October 2014 he uttered talaq thrice and threw her out of the house. Her parents were also not supportive. When she approached her parents, the father asked her not to come since her conduct would impact on other four daughters,” Damini told The Pioneer.