AIMPLB to request PM Modi to withhold triple talaq bill
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has decided to request PM Modi to withhold and withdraw a proposed bill which seeks to criminalize instant triple talaq. The cabinet-cleared Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, seeks to empower Muslim women by giving them more power in dissolving marriages, custody of minor children, and maintenance rights from estranged husbands.
How the bill defines triple talaq
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, defines triple talaq as "any pronouncement (of divorce) by a person upon his wife by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form, or in any other manner," and proposes to criminalize it.
The AIMPLB's criticism of the instant triple talaq bill
The AIMPLB criticized the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, describing it as a "conspiracy to grab the power of divorce from Muslims". Ironically, however, the AIMPLB's statement implies a strong male-centred definition of what constitutes "Muslims" i.e. it excludes women, mistakenly or deliberately, from the definition. The bill is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha next week.
AIMPLB expects government to consult it before making laws
"If government want to stop triple talaq, then it can take our suggestions. We will help in solving the issues under the constitutional provision of Muslim laws," said AIMPLB spokesperson Sajjad Nomani.
