Triple talaq

“Our members are distributing forms to women asking whether these discriminatory practices should be banned. We will submit them to the Supreme Court and Law Commission of India.”

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, an advocacy organisation, had announced on October 13 its decision to boycott the Law Commission’s exercise and resist the Centre’s attempt to replace diverse customary laws governing marriage, divorce and inheritance with the Uniform Civil Code. India has separate sets of personal laws for each religion, and demand for overhauling these codes date back decades.

Mumbai-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan too has launched a signature campaign for a ban on customs such as ‘triple talaq’.

“The All India Muslim Personal Law Board is indulging in fear-mongering. Muslim women are not against Shariat but are fighting against discriminatory practices. We are going to send a huge number of forms putting the voice of Muslim women to the Law Commission,” Zakia Somani, a member of the organisation, told HT.

The Muslim law board, for its part, downplayed the campaign by women’s organisations.

“They are free to carry out whatever campaign they want. We are not stopping them… but they are just trying to create confusion in people’s mind,” said Kamal Farooqui, a member.

Farooqui said the matter was “purely religious and the Supreme Court has no right to interfere”.