How and what went wrong or all were just right? Or at least how can it be done better in future?
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi SIYASAT.NET
The infamous Triple Talaq Bill (TTB) becomes Triple Talaq Act (TTA) today, the 1st August 2019. The President of India has singed it, as was expected, to finally make it a new set of law under CrPc. within Indian Constitution.
It went against Muslims. The BJP and it’s troll army are chest-thumping all around media and social media. They won and Muslim Indians lost – to precisely draw the conclusion.
Win or defeat is of course important, similar important is the contest itself. History also records which party did what and how did plan the battle. The two pan India Muslim organizations – All India Muslim Personal Law Board #AIMPLB and Jamiat Ulama-e Hind or #Jamiat need serious introspections. How and what went wrong or all were just right? Or at least how can it be done better in future?
The duo were the ones in the helm of business for all Muslims. They claim the same and rightly so, majority of Muslims accept it as such. They were parties in the notorious Talaq cases in the apex court. They were also dealing with the issues out of the court.
The Board will challenge the newly enacted Act in the apex court, as it declared yesterday. Will it work? I think, it won’t. Given the present style of Board’s functioning, unfortunately, one more face off is but inevitable.
Both the Board and Jamiat need to open the breasts and walk the talk. Islam is for all- Shia-Sunni, Deobandi-Bareilwi, Salafi-Jamati, Tablighi or non-Tablighi. The recently enacted law may or may not effect Muslims in general but it was aimed at to insult all Muslims and present Islam in bad lights.
Intra-organizational communication is seemingly poor among Delhi based Muslim organizations. Most leaders are seen engage with less important or individual institutional business instead of carrying out serious responsibilities as leaders of national level organizations.
Those who were supposed to be in Delhi, constantly lobbying and meeting political leaders or at least in their central offices in the capital, found to be busy with something else, in far areas elsewhere. Relief distribution, educational institution, madrasa, khanqa and all socio-welfare, political and religious work are important but a lone organization or a lone entity must not take all alone on his or its poor head at a time. Work distribution, mutual cooperation and constant communication among Muslim leaders, on individual as well as organizational level, is an urgent call. A plan must be in place including all – ulama and non-ulama Muslim intellectuals.
A particular individual may live certain years and a particular organization may or may not survive the test of time. However, Muslims in India are going to live here as long as India lives. It is our time to face the tide, without making it worse for those following us behind.
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The author M. Burhanuddin Qasmi is editor of Eastern Crescent, Mumbai.
Editor note, Abdul hafiz lakhani writes
Humiliation for Indian Muslims
Let us take a look in recent past about this controversy .AIMPLB and some so called Ulemas are responsible for the humiliation of Indian Muslims. Supreme Court kept asking for alternative of Triple Talaq (a pre-Islamic practice, which came into vogue during the times of Caliph Umar). Instead of going with the suggestion that we will follow the Quran, the AIMPLB and Ulemas kept repeating the “Boycott and Fine” method as remedy to eliminate Triple Talaq. They were delusional to think that Supreme Court will give the law enforcement rights (imposing fine/ boycott) to them. They were also wrong to think that Supreme Court will buy this argument that fine/ boycott will eliminate this abhorrent practice.
They were unaware of the gravity of the situation. They were thinking that Supreme Court will outlaw it, but we will continue to practice it. People like Asaduddin Owaisi, Maulana Arshad Madni etc voiced this strategy, to counter a potentially adverse judgment on instant triple talaq. It never crossed their mind that judges can foresee the problem in banning something without an alternative. This is why judges kept asking for an alternative from AIMPLB and Ulemas. Helplessness, incompetence or regressive mentality (or all of it) came in the way of them taking a position which is consistent with Quran.
