"India is the only country in the world where triple talaq divorce is legal; even stricter Islamic countries have abolished it. The Koran specifies that a waiting period of one month is required between each utterance of "talaq" -- allowing tempers to cool and consequences to be considered."
By Erica Lee Nelson
NEW DELHI -- In India's Islamic family law codes, a man can divorce his wife via e-mail, or from another city without her knowledge. By simply saying "talaq" (the Arabic word for divorce) three times, he can end his marriage in seconds and kick his wife out the same day.
Being so simple, divorce can happen accidentally, as in Aftab Ansari's case. After a nasty marital fight, Mr. Ansari unknowingly muttered the word three times in his sleep. A waking nightmare followed.
His wife, Sohela, heard what was said. Knowing that he hadn't actually divorced her but upset nonetheless, she told a friend about it the next day. People in their village gossiped about it, and the matter soon reached local Islamic religious leaders. They decreed that divorce had taken place and tried to separate the couple by force, even though both husband and wife wished to remain together. When the couple defied the ruling, they were threatened.
The case is an extreme example of the tension building in India's pluralistic democracy over a delicate issue: Where does religious freedom end and the rule of law begin?
Having given Muslims the right to follow their own religious laws in the Shariat Application Act of 1937 (including polygamy and triple talaq), India's courts are now rethinking this delegation of authority. Meanwhile, among India's Muslims, women are becoming educated and starting to demand their rights from a grudging religious establishment.
Full story: http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060603-012437-1363r
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"In economic life there is extreme inequality and exploitation. Although colonialism no longer exists openly in the political and economic sphere, still it persists indirectly, and this should not be tolerated... In this respect you should remember that in economic life, we will have to guarantee the minimum requirements of life to one and all... There cannot be any sort of adjustment as far as this point is concerned. The minimum purchasing requirement must be guaranteed to all. Today these fundamental essentialities are not being guaranteed. Rather, people are being guided by deceptive economic ideas like outdated Marxism, which has proven ineffective in practical life and has not been successfully implemented in any corner of the world. Why do people still believe in such a theory, which has never been proved successful? The time has come for people to make a proper assessment of whether they are being misguided or not." |
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"Human beings have still not been able to form a human society, and have still not learned to move with the spirit of a pilgrim. Although many small groups, motivated by self-interest, work together in particular situations, not even a small fraction of their work is done with a broader social motive. By strict definition, shall we have to declare that each small family unit is a society in itself? If going ahead in mutual adjustment only out of narrow self-interest or momentary self-seeking is called society, then in such a society, no provision can be made for the disabled, the diseased or the helpless, because in most cases nobody can benefit from them in any way... in that case there always remains the possibility of some people getting isolated from the collective. All human beings must attach themselves to others by the common bond of love and march forward hand in hand; then only will I proclaim it a society." |