A law to emanicipate Muslim women in India

Lucknow, Mar 13: The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has come up with a set of proposals that if becomes a reality will then go on a long way to the empowerment of Women in the Muslim community of India.

The Times of India has reported that the AISPLB has come up with a proposal that can lead to social boycott of men who fore-go their responsibilites the wife of their wife on frivolous grounds or resort to violence against them. The daily wrote that the proposal may be formally cleared on Mar 13.

According to the report, the proposed law will include a three-level redressal system, a helpline for the aggrieved party, reference to the 'Majlis-e-Aala-e-Dini' (expert panel of ulema) to investigate allegations and free legal aid by 'vakla' (lawyers' committee), if the victim's charges are proved right.

But the most important aspect of the proposed laws is the social boycott of men who leave wives without any substantial reason and go on for another marriage. The entire family may be boycotted, which according to the board spokesman Yasoob Abbas, as stated by the Times of India can even lead to the funeral being let unattended by others.

Abbas was quoted by the daily as explaining, "A noticeable spurt in the divorce rate has prompted us to take such a step. Also, a survey by the Board came up with startling finding that every fourth marriage was either ending in a divorce or heading towards irreconcilable differences."

The daily quoted, AISPLB president Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar as saying, "Similar restriction will also apply to those who opt for infanticide and selective termination of pregnancy to rule out giving birth to a girl child. No one has a right to play God and eliminate a life in the making due to gender bias. The AISPLB strongly condemns it."

If these proposed laws get sanctioned, then the long-standing view on the community being gender-biased will be out to rest for once and for all.

OneIndia News