Verdict On Triple Talaq Is A Vindication Of The Constitutional Struggles Of Muslim Women

triple-talaq

National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) congratulates millions of Muslim women of this country along with the Muslim women’s organizations, other feminist, rights groups and lawyers, who deserve to be applauded for the long overdue judgement of the Supreme Court, delivered yesterday, reading down the arbitrary and inhuman Triple Talaq as both ‘Unconstitutional’ and ‘Un-Quranic’. The judgement, by a 3:2 majority, brings to life, even if in a limited way, the core constitutional values of the equality, dignity, secularism and non-discrimination and legally seals the unilaterally arbitrary, irrevocable and instantaneous Triple Talaq, which has affected or threatened to affect the lives of numerous Muslim women, over decades.

While we do acknowledge that the verdict would form an important milestone on the hard path of securing the rights of Muslim women, as per the Constitution, we are not unmindful of the fact that the larger struggle against all forms of patriarchy, across religions, must and will continue. Be it violence within marriage, marital rape, equal property laws for women, equal access, the battles for constitutional justice and equality within the unequal institutions of family and marriage are far too many, but need to be fought in a secular, consistent and objective way.

We are also equally conscious of the propensity of the current ruling dispensation and its religious outfits to appropriate and seek undue credit for this judgement and also use it to brand the Muslim community as regressive. We, therefore, feel the need to re-emphasize that patriarchy needs to be fought within and across religions and legal reform must move in that direction, in consultation with women, and not in the direction of a Uniform Civil Code. The true scale of Triple Talaq needs to be looked at in perspective vis-à-vis the numerous other forms of oppression including domestic violence, marital rape, abandonment etc. that both Muslim and non-muslim, especially, a large number of Hindu women face on a routine basis. Demonizing minority religions, with a majoritarian and authoritarian approach, will not be accepted and will be challenged, by all progressive forces and the peace-loving citizens of India.

We salute the extra(ordinary) Muslim women of this country, who on the one hand have courageously been fighting ‘mundane’ battles against patriarchy within the family and community and on the other have been living beyond Muzaffarnagars and Gujarats, lynching of Junaid and disappearances of Najeeb and have been time and again, standing up against right-wing and communal elements. In an overall climate of fear and hatred being propagated against minorities and Muslims in particular by the pro-Hindutva forces and its political affiliates, the courage and resilience shown by the Muslim women is salient and significant. If the present govt. has any commitment for the well-being of Muslims, it might do well by moving beyond the rhetoric and misappropriation and instead seriously implement the far-reaching recommendations of the Jst. Rajinder Sachar Committee. The right-wing champions, celebrating this verdict as ‘liberation for Muslim women’, might do good by some inward looking and seriously acknowledge and address the gross gender injustices that Hindu women face on a day to day basis.

NAPM reiterates its commitment to stand in solidarity with all struggles against patriarchy, communalism and fascism, with a strong belief that these battles are deeply inter-connected. We also demand that any legislative action in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s judgement must take place only after widespread consultations with Muslim women and their organizations and other women’s groups across the country.
Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), National Campaign for People’s Right to Information and NAPM

P.Chennaiah, Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union-APVVU and National Centre For Labour and NAPM (Andhra Pradesh)

Ramakrishnam Raju, United Forum for RTI and NAPM (Andhra Pradesh)

Meera Sanghamitra, NAPM Telangana-Andhra Pradesh

Prafulla Samantara, Lok Shakti Abhiyan, and NAPM, Odisha

Lingraj Azad, Samajwadi Jan Parishad, Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, and NAPM, Odisha

Binayak Sen and Kavita Srivastava, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Sandeep Pandey, Socialist Party and NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd), Mysuru, NAPM, Karnataka

Gabriele Dietrich, Penn Urimay Iyakkam, Madurai and NAPM (Tamilnadu)

Geetha Ramakrishnan, Unorganised Sector Workers Federation, NAPM, (Tamilnadu)

Arul Doss, NAPM (Tamilnadu)

Arundhati Dhuru, Manesh Gupta, NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Richa Singh, Sangatin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, NAPM Uttar Pradesh

Vilayodi Venugopal, CR Neelakandan and Prof. Kusumam NAPM, Kerala

Guruwant Singh, NAPM Punjab

Vimal Bhai, Matu Jansangathan, NAPM, Uttarakhand

Jabar Singh, NAPM, Uttarakhand

Sister Celia, Domestic Workers Union, and NAPM, Karnataka

Anand Mazgaonkar and Krishnakant, Paryavaran Suraksh Samiti, NAPM Gujarat

Kamayani Swami and Ashish Ranjan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, and NAPM Bihar
Mahendra Yadav, Kosi Navnirman Manch, NAPM Bihar

Sister Dorothy, NAPM Bihar

Dayamani Barla, Aadivasi-Moolnivasi Astivtva Raksha Samiti, NAPM Jharkhand

Dr. Sunilam and Adv. Aradhna Bhargava, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, and NAPM, Madhya Pradesh

Bhupender Singh Rawat, Jan Sangharsh Vahini, NAPM, Delhi

Rajendra Ravi, Nanhu Prasad, Madhuresh Kumar, Amit Kumar, Himshi Singh, Uma, Aaquib Zabed Mazumder, NAPM, Delhi

Faisal Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar, NAPM Haryana

J S Walia, NAPM Haryana

Kailash Meena, NAPM Rajasthan

Samar Bagchi and Amitava Mitra, NAPM West Bengal

Suniti SR, Suhas Kolhekar, and Prasad Bagwe, NAPM Maharashtra

Gautam Bandopadhyay, NAPM, Chhattisgarh

Anjali Bharadwaj, National Campaign for People’s Right to Information and NAPM

Kaladas Dahariya, RELAA, Chhatisgarh

Bilal Khan, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Mumbai and NAPM
National Alliance of People’s Movements
National Office : 6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 24374535 Mobile : 09818905316
Web : www.napm-india.org | [email protected]
Facebook : www.facebook.com/NAPMindia
Twitter : @napmindia

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