LUCKNOW: All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) announced ‘social boycott’ of those misusing the provisions of triple talaq. The board on Sunday issued an eight-point code of conduct to be observed while pronouncing talaq and sought social boycott of those opting for triple talaq in one sitting.
On the question of the validity of talaq on phone and social media, AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani said if a marriage invitation and other important information is acceptable through social media, then talaq is no exception. But here too, it should be done in three sittings, over a period of three months.
After two-day meeting of its working committee, the board on Sunday said that triple talaq in one go was “improper” way of ending a marriage and must be discouraged as per the tenets of the Shariyat. It also issued an appeal to all clerics and particularly the Imams who lead the Friday prayers at mosques, to inform the Muslim men that triple talaq was not the correct way of reaching a divorce.
The board, which is regarded as the apex body representing all sects of Muslim community in India, also issued an appeal to all the social and religious organisations to educate and inform the community about the implications of triple talaq. AIMPLB came into being in 1973 to counter the call for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) by the then Congress government at the Centre. It is considered a representative of the community as most Muslim organisations belonging to various sects and sub-sects are its members.
Talking to media persons, Rehmani said that a perception was being created that triple talaq was the order of the day for divorce among Muslims which was untrue. “It is a false propaganda and the fact is that the divorce rate among Muslims was barely 0.5 %which was a small fraction of the corresponding figures of other communities in the country,” he said. The board members said that the propaganda against triple talaq was being raised to use it as a plank to further the agenda of UCC in India. Muslim clerics have been opposing the idea of UCC tooth and nail.
At the meeting, which was presided over by AIMPLB chairman Rabey Hasan Nadvi – the rector of Lucknow’s Nadwa-ut-Islam – the Ayodhya issue was also discussed and it was decided that the board won’t opt for an out-of-court settlement primarily because repeated attempts in the past have proved futile. The board said that the community would accept the decision of the Supreme Court and decided to press upon an early disposal of the case.
