By Aditya Aamir
If India was an Islamic
Republic triple-talaq would have gone without a trace and nobody, including
AsauddinOwaisi, would have shouted, outshouted the voice of God because “what
is wrong in theology cannot be right in law, Sharia”. But India happens to be a
multi-religious democracy, with multiple political parties, and Mr Owaisi has
the luxury to take cover of that and say, “Not as long as there is Islam, only
over my dead body.”
Rahul Ishwar, member of the
Thazhamantantri family, which runs the Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala, gave a
similar “over my dead body” ultimatum when told to follow the Supreme Court
verdict and not oppose “women of all age” entry into the Ayyappa shrine. Both
Owaisi and Rahul Ishwar have a conflict of interest. The Member of Parliament
heads a Muslim party, represents a largely Muslim constituency, speaks in Urdu
and has taken upon himself the onus of protecting Islam in a secular
multi-religious country.
Rahul Ishwar’s intransigency
on women’s entry into Sabarimala stems from his family’s stake in the shrine.
He says he is a Hindu right-winger and draws inspiration from RSS ideologue
Guru Golwalkar who, according to ‘humble brother’ Ishwar, declared that a
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will “destroy India”, what is required is “Unity”;
that ultra-right forces, which want to impose UCC on unsuspecting Indians, are
behind the “assault on Sabarimala” and attempts to criminalise
triple-talaq.
Pretty cool. Genius. Owaisi
and Ishwar. Threats to their hegemony are thwarted by conflation. The Owaisi
family interests lie in “protecting Islam”, the Thazhaman family’s in “Saving
Sabarimala”. It is another matter that the Ayyappa Temple and triple-talaq
issues are poles apart; like Rahul Ishwar says, “They are like comparing apples
to pineapples.”
Granted, but both are prickly
like the pineapple’s skin. But then, women barred from entering Sabarimala
Ayyappa Temple wouldn’t be condemned to hunger and penury. Triple-talaq lands a
Muslim woman in instant trouble. Triple-talaq is mental trauma. Physical, too.
The Supreme Court made triple-talaq unconstitutional in December 2017. In the
year since there have been 477 instances of ‘instant triple-talaq’. And none of
the perpetrators punished!
At least, in Sabarimala,
hundreds of violators of the Supreme Court order have been arrested and sent to
jail, even those who sat and chanted “Swami Ayyappa”. Muslim men who go about
triple-talaqing wives for a “roti burned” or being “overweight by a kilo more”
are going scot-free because it’s not a “criminal act”, only an annulment of a
“civil contract”, and Muslim marriages are civil contracts.
Now, it’s no secret that both
Sabarimala and triple-talaq have been politicised. Political parties are not
different from Owaisi and Rahul Ishwar, Owaisi’s AIMIM and the
Ishwar’sTazhamanKudumbam. Political parties are using issues of gender-equality
and triple-talaq as cover to achieve political goals. Law Minister Ravishankar
Prasad saying in the Lok Sabha that “there is no politics in triple talaq” is
patent political falsehood.
That said, democracy is
playground for politicians. Apart from Shahnawaz and Naqvi, not many Muslims
must have voted for the BJP, but 31% of mostly Hindutva folks did and the
agenda is to remove ‘durachars’ in Muslim Personal Law. So, if the MGB gets
elected, by say 49% of the electorate, then how about a law banning the ban on
cow slaughter? That will be tit for tat. Democracy!
Everybody praises China for
“transforming” in 30 years. And it’s one-party rule in China. Proof that
over-populated countries, if the people of such countries want to get out of
the poverty-rut, there should be one-party rule. With a prayer on the lips that
the guy at the top turns out as benign as a pineapple; prickly outside, with a
soft-core inside. Democracy sounds fine but nothing gets done.
Democracy is full of spelling
mistakes. Triple-talaqed begums must have died 1,000 deaths Thursday evening as
the Lok Sabha discussed the triple-talaq bill. Triple-talaqingmians must have
offered five-time Namaz, hanging on to every word spoken in the lower house,
pulse racing and hearts going ‘talaq-talaq-talaq’. If it was China, it would be
‘okay-okay-okay’ to whatever the ‘boss’ says, on triple-talaq or the ban on the
ban on cow slaughter. Holy cows only feature in democracies. Blame it on planet
Earth! So varied, it mirrors democracy. There is no dictatorship, but Nature
can be capricious. Whimsical.(IPA
Service)
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