New Delhi: A high-level delegation of Muslims led by Mahmood Madani faction of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised his stand on Triple Talaq and also appreciated the implementation of Minority Welfare Schemes under the Union Government, an official release said.
"Members of the delegation, who are associated with educational institutions, also mentioned the progress made by their institutions, in Government initiatives such as cashless transactions, start-ups, and the Hackathon recently organized by NITI Aayog", the release said.
The members of the delegation included Qari Syed Mohammad Usman Mansurpuri - President of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Mahmood Madani faction), Mahmood A Madani – General Secretary of the Jamiat, Dr. Zahir I Kazi - President Anjuman-i-Islam, Mumbai, Prof Akhtarul Wasey and AIUDF MP Badaruddin Ajmal Qasmi.
Also praising the Prime Minister’s vision, members of the delegation expressed hope that the nationwide trust that he has among the people, will ensure prosperity and well-being of all segments of society. They said that the Muslim community is keen to be an equal partner in the making of New India, according to the official release.
Welcoming the members of the delegation, the Prime Minister said that democracy’s greatest strength is harmony and amity.
Emphasizing that the Government does not have any right to discriminate among citizens, the Prime Minister said that India’s speciality has been its unity in diversity.
"The new generation in India must not be allowed to fall victim to the rising global tide of extremism", he said.
On Triple Talaq, the Prime Minister reiterated that the Muslim community should not allow this issue to be politicized, and urged the assembled gathering to take the responsibility for initiating reform in this regard.
The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Jamiat Ulema Mahmood Madani group came just days before the Supreme Court of India is set to start the hearing on the number of petitions filed against the Triple Talaq as it is practiced in India.
A five-judge constitution bench would commence hearing from May 11 to decide on the batch of petitions challenging the practices of 'Triple Talaq', 'nikah halala' and polygamy among Muslims.
The Modi government has submitted in the Supreme Court that triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy are against rights of women and hence be banned.
Petition demanding a ban on these practices have also been filed in the Supreme Court by women activists and also by individual triple talaq victims.
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.