"Talaq discouraged in Islam but divorce safe exit as woman can re-marry"

Senior Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: "In Islam, marriage is a contract and woman has the right to re-marry".

"If the differences between husband and wife are serious, it is better to go for separation which is a safe exit".

All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) executive committee member Dr Asma Zehra, who was in Bhopal today, said this in a press conference.

She said that 'triple talaq' is not as big an issue as it is made out. "Islam discourages divorce and it is considered an unpleasant event. But the option has been given for extreme circumstnaces. For women, Islam gives them to right to re-marry.

"It is not a divine relationship, but a contract", she said. "Women have their dignity and if the husband doesn't follow Islamic injunctions and doesn't value her, she should better be out of it. In case of dispute, doors of divorce are kept open to make life easy and relieve each partner of torture and suffering", she said.

Dr Zehra said that the real issues facing Indian society are female foeticide, infanticide, dowry harassment, dowry deaths and women's safety. "There is an effort to tarnish and damage the image of Muslim community by repeatedly targeting Muslim personal law and creating that Muslim women are oppressed.

The fact is that Islam elevated position of Muslims and Muslim women are socially more empowered than women of other communities because of strong family system", she added. Dr Zehra said that BJP government is trying to inferene in personal laws, which is wrong.

She said that marriage in Muslim community, desertion and abandoning is less and the burden of raising children is not on wife. Husband is solely responsible for upbringing and manintenance. Once, woman walks out of marriage, she is free to live her life. 

After the press conference, she addressed a gathering of women. At the event, it was told that the figure of divorce among Muslims in Bhopal, is barely 300-500 every year in a population of several lakhs, which tells that despite the perception, 'talaq' is not as common among Muslims.