Save us from triple talaq: Muslim women

Victims tell their woeful divorce stories

The cry for a complete ban on triple talaq and fatwa system from hundreds of Muslim women got shriller during a one-day consultation programme organised in Bandra here.

Many of those women present at the event organised by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women sought a separate and dedicated law, like the Hindu Marriage Act, to govern marriages in the Muslim community.

Sharing their experiences and making their demands at the platform, the women who were mostly victims of triple talaq claimed that the ‘outdated’ practices are dogging the community.

In a heartrending narration, Shabnam Adil Khan, one of the victims, said though she has not been divorced, she is living separately due to “harassment” by her husband and in-laws.

“I was fooled by my husband as he married me in January 2015 without divorcing his first wife. Soon after our marriage, my husband and in-laws harassed me by asking me to bring money from my parents. I refused and so I was kicked out of their house. My husband and in-laws even tried to kill me twice but fortunately I escaped their attmepts,” 29year-old Shabnam sobbed.

She further said, “My husband is an engineer in Saudi Arabia and earns some 1 lakh per month but still demanded money from my house. After my denial and our constant fights over his demands, he imposed strange conditions to live with him.”

After living separately for more than a year, Shabnam now wants a divorce from her husband but on her own conditions.

“In our community, the worst part is that the consent of the woman is never considered. I don’t want to get divorced under the Shariat Laws but in accordance to the law laid down in the Constitution of the country.”

Similar was the case of Arshiya Bagwan (19), a resident of Baramati. Arshiya said her husband divorced her on the ground that he has lost affection and fondness of her (dil se utar gayi).

She has no desire to go back to her husband and rather seeks proper maintenance for herself and her 14-monthold son. “Women should be given their rights as guaranteed by our Constitution. I want an equal share in my husband’s property and also an adequate amount for me and my son,” Arshiya said.

Majority of women in the even also criticised the ‘Fatwa’ system and also the Maulana and Muftis, who claim to have power to annul marriage.