Striking a defiant posture on triple talaq, the All India Muslim Personal law Board (AIMPlB) on Sunday asserted that triple talaq given in one sitting is valid as per Shariat and Muslims have the “constitutional” right to follow their personal laws. The board also defended the practice of giving divorce via the social media.
However, the AIMPlB has given the call for social boycott of those who give triple talaq to their wives without reasons as prescribed by Shariat. “It has been decided that those misusing triple talaq will face social boycott,” said AIMPlB general secretary Maulana Wali Rahmani.
He said, “Islam has conferred equal rights on men and women and it’s our collective responsibility to ensure that women exercise their rights.”
Maulana Rahmani said there is lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about triple talaq and the board has finalised a 10-point code of conduct for Muslims. Rahmani argued that triple talaq has the sanction of the Quran and falls outside the purview of the judiciary.
The board is issuing appeals to all maulanas and imams to read out the code of conduct during Friday namaz and emphasise on its implementation, he said. The AIMPlB has made it clear that it will not tolerate any interference in the Shariat laws, and claimed that majority of the Muslims in the country do not want any change in their personal laws.
Maulana Rahmani defended triple talaq given via social media saying that it is valid as per the Islamic law. “The postcard or the marriage card send by somebody inviting others for his/her marriage is a valid document as invitation for the marriage ceremony, so is the case with divorce given via social media,” he said.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing several PIls challenging the constitutional validity of triple talaq and Halala. The Centre and some NGOs, who are party in the case in the SC, have submitted that triple talaq violates the right to gender equality.
The Supreme Court has set May 11-19 as the timeline to conclude hearings on the legality of triple talaq, signalling its resolve to decide on an issue with potentially severe socio-political implications. The court said it would hold daily sittings between May 11 and May 19 to decide pleas by Muslim women to declare the practice of oral talaq illegal.
Asked how the AIMPlB would ensure justice to the Muslim women who are victims of triple talaq, the AIMPlB general secretary said, “The issue of triple talaq is being blown out of proportion in the media.”