On 30th July 2019, India witnessed history as Triple Talaq was finally abolished. It was a long walk for the present government and an era of atrocities against Muslim women, but the act is finally illegal.
History Of Abolition Of Triple Talaq In India
Triple Talaq, also known as talaq-e-biddat, is a form of Islamic divorce used by Muslim men to legally divorce their wives, by stating the word talaq three times in a row in an oral, written, or more recently, electronic form.
The Modi led government formulated a bill called The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 and introduced it in the Parliament which was passed on 28 December 2017 by the Lok Sabha. The bill made triple talaq in any form illegal with up to three years in jail for the husband. The bill faced stiff resistance from the opposition. The Lok Sabha finally passed the bill after one year, 27 December 2018, with strong support as the ruling party BJP had a majority. It was, however, yet to be passed by the upper house, Rajya Sabha at that time.
Rajya Sabha passed the bill almost after 6 months of it being passed by the Lok Sabha on 30 July 2019 by 99 votes in favour and 84 against it.
Triple Talaq In Other Countries
Triple Talaq, which is Islamic law, had been abolished in Islamic nations like Pakistan way back in 1961. Along with Pakistan, 21 other countries including India’s neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had also abolished it. This raises the question, why did it take India such a long time to illegalise such a tyrannical law?
India has been fighting for gender equality for a long time, then why did we have to travel until 2017 to recognise that such oppressive rules are also hindrances?
Muslim Women In India On Triple Talaq
According to data posted on this website, a large majority of Muslim women opposed Triple Talaq. Among these is Zakia Soman, co-founder of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. It is a leading campaign for the overhaul and codification of Muslim Personal Laws. In the surveys by BMAA, 92.1% Muslim women supported the abolition of Triple Talaq, 91.7% opposed polygamy and 83.3% felt that codification of Muslim family law will ensure justice and equality.
In the video below, Zakia Soman speaks about the various practices of Islam and how they are inhuman towards one gender. In this one, the Muslim Women’s Forum appeals to the SC to even abolish polygamy.
I strongly believe that abolition of Triple Talaq is recognising the rights of a married Muslim woman. This new law is in no way an attack on a particular religion, as some people argue. No one, except the particular woman, can imagine the agony that she goes through when her husband leaves her just by saying, writing or messaging the word talaq three times in a go.
Divorces don’t just end relations but also lives, especially of the children. A decision like a divorce shouldn’t be taken in a hurry and that too without that consent of the other partner. Two people may fall out of love, but just uttering talaq three times is no solution. A proper way must be present to come to a conclusion. This bill will end the atrocities against Muslim wives by their husbands from now onwards. The wives too have a say in their marriages. For a developing and democratic country like India, this law will prove to be a golden one in the run of equality.