Muslim Law Board to seek end to marriage registration controversy

Kolkata, Feb 29 (UNI) The All Indian Muslim personal Law Board may recommend a middle-path to end the controversy, raised regarding compulsory registration of marriages for all communities.

The Supreme Court had ordered the Central and the State Governments that all marriages would have to be henceforth registered.

Addressing the issue, Assistant General Secretary of the Board Md Abdur Raheem Quraishi said, '' The Board is not against registration, but it feels that making it compulsory would create hardship and difficulty for a large section of people irrespective of caste and creed. '' ' We don't have an administrative mechanism at village level and one cannot expect a poor villager to go all the way to the magistrate office for registration. Making it compulsory is going to put financial burden on poor Muslims,'' he added.

He said the Board was taking the cause of all people irrespective of caste and creed and trying to stand by them.

The Law Board would hold meeting for two days tomorrow at Kshudhiram Anushilan Kendra.

''Another aspect that should be kept in mind is that among Muslims most of the marriages are a written record, whereas its not a written record for any other community. So the Kazis could be recognised by the government, making the process much simpler, '' he said.

The session would also discuss reports from its general secretaries of the legal committee of Darul Qaza, Social reformation and the Babri Masjid Committees.

It would also consider the status and position of civil and criminal cases relating to Babri Masjid and will decide further course of action.

Asked to comment on the Law Board's stand against terrorism, general secretary Maulana Md Nizamuddin said, '' There is no definition of terrorism. It has not been defined by the United Nations nor by Indian Parliament. But according to us, targeting any innocent person's life or property amounts to terrorism. It is so mentioned in our holy books. '' He went on to add that investigations in certain cases have been biased and there have been excesses.

He, however, refrained from commenting on India's growing proximity with America.

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