Mumbai: Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's suggestion that the Muslims should ensure the issue of Triple Talaq was not politicised, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and opposition parties on Saturday said that he himself was politicising the issue of TripleTalaq for electoral gains.
"The entire Triple Talaq debate has been started by Prime Minister Modi himself, his government, and his own men and party. They are politicising the issue for electoral gain and to defame the Muslims.
"Instead of worrying about Muslim women, the Prime Minister should do something for hundreds of thousands of women who have been divorced and left abandoned by Hindus", Asma Zahra, Chief of Muslim panel's women's wing said.
"Cases of crimes against women are rising day by day. The Prime Minister should announce some immediate measures so that women of the countrt feel safe and secure", she added.
Prime Minister Modi while addressing an event marking the birth anniversary of Kannada philosopher Basaveshwar on Saturday voiced hope that Muslims in India would "show the path of modernity" to their counterparts across the world.
"There is so much debate on the triple talaq these days. Looking at the great tradition of India, my mind is filled with the hope that powerful people will emerge from the community in this country (to) eradicate outdated practices, evolve modern systems," he said.
"It is the strength of our country's soil that people from the (Muslim) community will emerge to save our mothers and sisters from this trouble," he said, referring to the practice of triple talaq", he said.
He said reform has always come to our society from within, whenever required and expressed confidence that reformers would emerge from within the Muslim community itself, to put an end to the pain suffered by some Muslim women, because of the practice of “triple talaq.”
Senior Samajwadi Party leader while criticising Modi asked him to speak on other issues being faced by Muslim women.
"Prime Minister Modi should also focus on other problems of Muslim women. Muslim women are losing their husbands and son due to violence created by cow vigilantes," he said.
Congress too slammed Modi for his comments saying they were "insignificant."
"Prime Minister Modi made the statement eyeing upcoming elections in Karnataka. He has been doing this and will also continue to do in future. He is following the ideology of RSS. His speech does not hold any significance," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said.
Hyderabad MP and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi had a day before asked Prime Minister Modi to get his abandoned and estranged wife back before talking about the rights of Muslim women.
"The Prime Minister nowadays is worried over the plight of Muslim women who have suffered because of triple talaq and talks of equality and rights of women. Why doesn't he bring back his estranged wife who is also suffering ever since she has been abandoned by him?", Owaisi asked while addressing a public meeting in Malegaon.
"Your estranged wife is sitting on the fence and is ready to come back even by a simple phone call. When will you oblige her my dear Prime Minister?", Owaisi asked.
Differences over practice of triple talaq exist in the Islamic Sharia since the tenure of second Caliph Omar (RA). Muslim scholars and jurists argue that concurrent talaq or triple talaq in one go has never been approved by Prphet Mohammad (peace be upon him), during the tenure of first Caliph Abu Bakr (RA) and the first two years of Caliph Omar's caliphate.
Caliph Omar later approved it as punishment, scholars argue, but later on the practice was annulled by Muslim jurists. It is on this basis, the practice of concurrent talaq has been termed invalid in most of the Muslim countries.
Muslims in India, majority of them followers of Hanafi school of thought, are adamant on the invalid concurrent talaq and are fighting a case with women activists in the Supreme Court.
Interestingly, some renowned Hanafi scholars have also ruled against concurrent or triple talaq. According to the sources in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the members fear that agreeing to any change on triple talaq would open floodgate of interference in other Sharia matters.
It is also learnt that there is a strong dissent among the members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMLB) and especially some women members are upset over board's handling of the situation.
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