Scholars of Darul Uloom Deoband on August 13 termed the marriage conducted by a woman qazi “illegal”.Four scholars of Darul Uloom have issued a statement condemning the “so-called” marriage between Naesh Hasan and Imran Naeem in Lucknow on August 12 that was solemnised by Sayeda Hamid, central Planning Commission member.
“This kind of marriage under the arc-lights of the media is nothing short of a drama,” the clerics’ statement said. Ahmad Khizar Shah Masudi, Darul Uloom’s deputy secretary in charge of education, said the marriage was a “cruel joke on Shariat laws”.
“An exception to the Muslim Marriage Act under which a man acts as a qazi can be made when there is a compulsion. This could be over non–availability of a qualified male qazi, which can happen in a rural area,” he said.