NEW DELHI: Terming Nikah Halala organised rape and a practice neither sanctified by the Quran, Islam nor the Constitution, film-maker Amber Zaidi is all set to make a documentary on it. Zaidi, who is also associated with the NGO Hope Humanity Social Welfare Society, has been working on the documentary for three years, ever since the Supreme Court took up the first batch of petitions challenging triple talaq for hearing. Zaidi said, “In six months, we will broadcast it on YouTube, at film festivals and at educational institutions. Then maybe on a larger scale later.”
The film-maker, who spoke to 200 victims from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, has zeroed in on four case studies for the documentary that will mostly be shot in UP.“We need to educate people, especially women about their Islamic and constitutional rights. Even Islamic scholar Qazi Afroz Alam Qasmi says Nikah Halala is not permitted in Islam, it’s a sin. There is no confusion on the issue across various Islamic sects,” she said.
Zaidi says it must be stopped immediately even if it requires government intervention. On political affiliations, Zaidi says, “I am an apolitical person and have no qualms in participating in any such programme that is for the welfare and emancipation of women; even if it is initiated by the RSS.”