It is a pity that some people cannot differentiate between “triple talaq” and the uniform civil code. It is as different as chalk and cheese. Yet, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board is against its abolition.
The provision allows a Muslim man to pronounce talaq (I divorce) three times in one sitting and he gets legally separated from his wife. She will no longer have many of the rights she enjoyed as a legally wedded wife. She can at best look forward to getting an alimony for which Shah Bano had to fight right up to the Supreme Court in the eighties. There is no justification for such a quick divorce which is available only to man.
The Board which resists the abolition is an all-male outfit and it merely wants to perpetuate gender inequality in the name of religion. Islamic scholars find the provision so repugnant, despite its questionable links with the Islamic books of law, that in many Muslim-majority countries such divorce is not allowed. Why go far, triple talaq is not allowed even in Pakistan.
In India this is one law which is grossly misused. Most of the cases that family courts hear are related to triple talaq. Studies have shown that an overwhelming majority of Muslim women find the practice worthy of being consigned to the dustbin.
The Supreme Court has in several cases suggested the abolition of triple talaq. It believes that the government should take a call on this. Triple talaq is not central to the Islamic faith. In fact, in many respects, Islam is far more considerate to women than many other religions.
The Quran is replete with verses that suggest women are equal to men and it was in the latter’s overall interest that many of the Islamic laws were drafted. It should also be realised that if it is abolished, it will affect only a small number of Muslim men who misuse it to get rid of their wives who turn out to be inconvenient for various reasons.