The RSS-led BJP government seems to be adept in turning a non-issue into a national issue. The case in point is the triple Talaaq. The hue and cry raised by the BJP government over this issue is most uncalled for and unwarranted. Obviously, it is just to divide the Muslim community and derive the political mileage out of it. The intention of the Government seems to be mala fide. The Government should not indulge in this matter as this is a matter of faith for the Muslim community.
Many national issues such as unemployment, housing, poverty alleviation, men and women security, infrastructure, reservation, communal violence, etc., which need very urgent attention of the Government, are thrown into cold storage whereas issues like Burqa, Scarf, Triple Talaaq, Azaan, etc. are given top priority. India is a land of different religions and traditions and every community has its own problems. There are innumerable cases of harassment and molestation of women in all communities. Women are treated like chattel in all other communities too. Then why only Muslim women’s grievances like triple Talaaq are blown out of proportion? If the Government is really so much concerned, so much sympathetic and so much merciful about Muslim divorced women, let it give job or pension to such women and show its real sympathy. The Government is trying to divert the attention of the people from its failures. Let the Government stop shedding crocodile tears and address the main issues to materialise its slogan “Sab ka saath sab ka vikaas”.
WHY BLAME HUSBAND ONLY?
Allah in all His wisdom has provided a safe way for a Muslim woman by way of Talaaq. In no other community such a safe way is provided to married woman to escape from life-long harassment at the hands of husband. In case if a wife is proved to have committed any sinful or illicit act or infidelity then Talaaq is the only way to get away from such a guilty life. In fact, Talaaq is a deterrent from social ills.
Two or three cases of divorced Muslim women projected on television are negligible and such instances are found in all communities; statistics of divorce rate speaks of this. If a man divorces his wife, there will be a reason for it which the woman generally conceals but blames husband only. So far no TV channel has asked a husband why he divorced his wife. Why husband is to be blamed unilaterally?
Biased and prejudiced T.V channels ask wife only and why not ask husband why he divorced his wife?
GOVT. INTERVENTION UNWARRANTED
The Shari’ah is sacrosanct. It is Word of Allah and not of any human being. Since about 1450 years not an iota of it has been changed. No human being has power to change it, leave the Government alone. Allah in all His wisdom has ordained not to effect any change in it; then why the Government is hell bent upon changing it? Is it because of ushering in Hindu Rashtra? All the incidents projected against the triple Talaaq by electronic and print media are all concocted and fabricated to malign the Muslim community. The statements of guilty wives who are projected on T.V. cannot be trusted as they conceal their guilt and highlight their agonies only.
We Muslims hope good sense will prevail upon the Government and this non-issue of triple Talaaq is given a silent burial to make “Sab ka sath sab ka vikas” a dream realised.
[The writer is Rtd. Principal, Anjuman Degree College, Bijapur, Karnataka]