A Muslim Family Law is the need of the hour, a Muslim women's body said on Monday, urging the government and the opposition to stop politicising the issue so as to ensure a balanced and comprehensive law.
"This government must now listen to the voices of progressive Muslim women," the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) said in a statement.
"It has so far not heeded the amendments that the BMMA has been demanding to the Bill passed by the Lok Sabha.
"A balanced law which ensures protection of women and at the same time deters the men is required and the BMMA has done the needful by presenting this amended version to the government. Why is this government stonewalling the voices of women who have been working since the last decade to ensure Muslim women's Quranic and Constitutional rights?
"It is also time that the government and opposition stop politicising the issue and ensure a balanced and comprehensive law," the statement added.
The statement said that while the Supreme Court setting aside triple talaq in its judgment of August 2018 was a historical step forward, issues such as nikah halala, polygamy, age of marriage, custody of children and share in property remained unaddressed.
"Women's rights in all of these matters are clearly protected by Quranic injunctions as well as various articles of the Constitution.
"Unfortunately, the patriarchal dominance by orthodox forces have led to women being denied justice."
It said it was obligatory for the elected representatives and the government to enable women to get justice.
Parliament must live up to its duty of passing a Muslim Family Law just as they passed the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Hindu Succession Act, 1956.
Justice for Indian muslim women can be enabled either through amendments to the Shariat Application Act, 1937 as well as the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 or a completely new enactment of Muslim personal law.
--IANS
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