July 2,
2004
Press
Release
MSD
statement released at the press conference held at the
Press Club in Mumbai on July 2, 2004
Muslims
for Secular Democracy (MSD) is pleasantly surprised at the
reported intention of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)
to call for an end to the inhuman and anti-women practice of
triple talaaq (instant divorce).
With all
its reservations against the Board, which since its inception
has remained a mute witness to continuing injustices against
Muslim women, MSD would nevertheless consider it a small step
forward should the Board actually pass a resolution denouncing
the instant talaaq practice at its scheduled meeting on
July 4. But reports in the newspapers in the last few days, with
conflicting statements attributed to different office bearers of
the Board, leave little room for hope.
The least
one can expect is that the Board will arrive at some consensus
on the model nikaahnama proposed by several Muslim
women’s groups nearly a decade ago and on which the Board
continues to drag its feet.
The dogged
refusal of the Board to initiate reforms in family laws in India
long after numerous Muslim-majority countries have done so
defies common sense.
Meanwhile,
and not surprisingly, a few fundamentalist Muslim bodies have
already threatened a nationwide agitation should the AIMPLB pass
an anti-triple talaaq resolution.
MSD
strongly condemns such retrogressive and reactionary Muslim
outfits and reiterates its demand for comprehensive reforms in
all the existing personal (family) laws in the country to ensure
justice to women.
A press
conference specially convened on this issue at Mumbai on July 2,
2004 was addressed by:
Javed
Akhtar (President, MSD) Hasan Kamaal
(Vice-president, MSD)
Sajid
Rashid (Vice-president, MSD) Javed Anand (General
Secretary, MSD)
SMA Kazmi
(Organising Secretary MSD and Senior Advocate, Allahabad High
Court, flew down to Mumbai specially for the press conference).
Mr. Gulam
Mohd Peshimam (MSD Convener) and Founder Members of MSD, who
could not be present at the press conference:
Mr. Zafar
Agha (Delhi), Mr. Askari Zaidi (Bhopal), Mr. Anwar Rajan, Mr.
Anwar Shaikh, Ms. Yasmin Shaikh, Ms. Razia Patel (all Pune) and
Mr. Humayun Mursal (Kolhapur) telephonically expressed their
full support to the statement being issued in Mumbai today and
reiterated the demand for reforms in all existing personal laws
in India.
Javed
Anand