Thousands of Muslim women staged a silent protest march at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan yesterday, demanding the withdrawal of a bill banning triple talaq passed by the Lok Sabha last December.
Organised by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s women’s wing, and described as the “first, exclusive Muslim women’s protest rejecting the bill and supporting the Shariah laws” the protest elicited huge response from Muslim women across the country.
Though the march was silent, the women carried placards loudly proclaiming their demands with slogans opposing the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, and expressing their support to protect the Shariah.
“Our demand is very clear. Take back the triple talaq bill. It is anti-women, anti-gender justice, anti children, will destroy families, push Muslim husbands into jail and damage the Muslim society,” AIMPLB women’s wing president Asma Zehra.
She added that so far, more than 50mn women have joined a signature campaign supporting the AIMPLB’s stand and submitted it to the Law Commission. The bill is awaiting Rajya Sabha clearance.
“This bill is an attempt to interfere with the personal laws which we cannot accept. The protest is also aimed at the handful of women who distributed sweets after the government passed the bill hurriedly in the Lok Sabha,” she said.
Zehra said the bill is “legally defective, puts women in legal-social complications, focuses on jailing Muslim men without helping women in any manner” and has been opposed by legal experts, women’s rights groups and Muslim women across India.
She alleged that the bill not only criminalises talaq, but moves a step towards the Uniform Civil Code which the Hindu rightwing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh seeks to impose.
“The Indian Constitution has granted the people the freedom to practice their religion but this government wants to deprive the citizens of their constitutional right,” she added.
AIMPLB executive member Monisa B Abidi said instead of bringing in a law that criminalises triple talaq, the government should have asked the community to bring in changes and internal reforms.
Lawyer Munawwarai Alware said Muslim women “strongly favour Shariah laws” and cannot be cheated with hollow slogans.
Jamat-e-Islami Hind’s Arshia Shakeel said the Islam is “a complete way of life, Muslims are blessed by Sharaih law which is a complete code in individual and social matters and the community is satisfied with it.”
Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi said around 200,000 women from all over India joined the protest while Salamat Ullah Nadvi said they highlighted the fact that the bill, instead of protecting Muslim women, would deprive them of even the rights which they are currently entitled to and be detrimental to their interests.
Various political parties including the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen and Muslim leaders from different parties have supported the Muslim women’s demands.
“It is very rare that so many thousands of women from different sects in the Muslim community have joined together to protest against this bill,” said Congress legislator and former minister Naseem Khan.
Later, a delegation of women leaders met Governor C V Rao and submitted a memorandum to be forwarded to the president, prime minister and others, Maulana Qasmi said.
Muslim women participate in a protest against the triple talaq bill, in Mumbai yesterday.
