‘Congress, MPLB must apologise to Muslim women now’

LUCKNOW: UP government’s Muslim face Mohsin Raza spoke to HT on the significance of the SC order on triple talaq. In an interview to Manish Chandra Pandey, he blamed the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Congress for keeping quiet on the exploitation of Muslim women for so long. Excerpts:

Do you see the ‘triple talaq’ order as an endorsement of Modi government’s stand on the issue?

Why talk of political endorsement. It’s a historic order that would liberate our sisters from the exploitation they suffered for so long. And who made them suffer? It was the AIMPL and the Congress that refused to act against this exploitation for obvious reasons. Remember how the then Congress government circumvented an SC judgment in the Shah Bano case through an act in 1986. That’s how Muslim women were made to suffer for vote bank reasons.

It was the PM who had first taken up the issue in a rally in Bundelkhand. Is that why the BJP appears so jubilant now?

As a Muslim I would thank the PM for raising an issue that all politicians and parties were afraid of touching. Now, you would see how life changes for our sisters who were divorced on phone, over e-mail and on whatsapp!

That’s why I asked if you see the decision as a political endorsement of Modi govt’s stand?

As you know, Modiji raised it first and we also mentioned it in our UP manifesto. We had promised to help Muslim women and by putting forth their views before the apex court .We kept our word. See, triple talaq as it was being practised was neither a part of shariyat nor the constitution.

But you are unusually harsh on AIMPLB. Why is that so?

There is a reason. How can an NGO that the AIMPLB actually is be so powerful that it started influencing decisions, being oblivious to exploitation of women?

To be fair, AIMPLB had talked of discouraging instant divorce. Then why be so critical of them?

They started looking within only when they realised that their tactics to suppress Muslim women won’t work any longer. In fact, if the Board still refuses to see reason and remains rigid, then it should be banned. In fact, both the Board and Congress must apologise to Muslim women.

What do you make of demands that any proposed legislation on triple talaq must be enacted keeping shariyat in mind?

Don’t you think the SC order would have kept Shariyat in mind. Our only guide is the holy Quran and it doesn’t say anything on triple talaq as was being practised. The SC heard all the parties before making the decision. What’s the point of any debate now?