LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI:The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Thursday said there was no scope for change in the “triple talaq” system and rejected the suggestion by some community outfits for building a consensus on making a three-month period mandatory before finalisation of divorce.
As per Quran and Hadith, “triple talaq” is a crime, but once said, the process would be considered complete and cannot be changed, AIMPLB spokesman Maulana Abdul Raheem Qureshi clarified. He said he came to know through news reports that the All India Sunni Ulema Council had written a letter to the Board along with Deobandi and Barelvi sects that if there was any scope in Islamic law, then “talaq” said by a person thrice at one go, should be considered as said only once.
“The AIMBLP has not received any such letter as yet, but we do not agree with the suggestion. We have nothing to do with what happens in other Islamic countries... what is happening in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Sudan and other countries. We do not look into it. What we follow is what Quran Sharif, Hadith and Sunnat has said,” he explained.
Qureshi further said the AIMPLB sent a questionnaire last week to Ulemas across the country asking whether any penalty could be imposed on a person giving “triple talaq”. “There is an old fatwa which states that triple talaq in one go is a crime, but the process will be considered to be complete. Earlier, such husbands were lashed, but now it cannot be done. The Ulemas were asked what can be done in the present situation. We will invite them and discuss the issue at length,” he said.
Meanwhile, two Hindutva leaders, VHP working president Pravin Togadia and BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj, stirred a hornet’s nest, citing the religion-wise census data. Togadia, in an article in the RSS mouthpiece, Organiser, said India should stand up against ‘population jihad’ and warned that the country would become an Islamic state otherwise. He advocated two-child norm for the minority community and called for punishment if they violate the rule.
“Perhaps a punishable criminal offence and stopping the ration, jobs, educational facilities will streamline the population facilitation towards better development,” he suggested and also wanted Bangladeshi ‘infiltrators’ to be ‘kicked out’ of the country. Sakshi Maharaj, also known for his controversial comments, demanded that the minority tag be removed for Muslims, wherever they are in a majority.
“They are no longer a minority. They say they are over a quarter of the population. In Kashmir, they are more than 90 per cent. There are many districts where they are 70, 80, 90 per cent,” he said.