Women activists slam AIMPLB on triple talaq

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Women activists today slammed theAll India Muslim Personal Law Board for its counter-affidavitin Supreme Court on triple talaq saying the Muslim body hasturned a blind eye to the plight of women suffering due tothis practice. AIMPLB told the apex court that personal laws can’t be"re-written" in the name of social reforms and "courts cannotsupplant its own interpretations over the text of scriptures". Noorjehan Safia Niaz, co-founder of Bharatiya MuslimMahila Andolan (BMMA), which is one of the petitioners, said,"No one can stop the citizen of this country to approach thecourt. That is a right Muslim women also have." "… Lot of rights have been given to Muslim women in theQuran but these are the people (AIMPLB) who are sitting onthem and not allowing women to access them because ofpatriarchy." "… AIMPLB has been completely obstinate and rigid andthere is no point talking to bodies like these. So, SC will beapproached and it will have the right to interpret." She also claimed that the practice of triple talaq isun-Quranic as the religious text insists on mandatoryarbitration for seeking divorce. CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said, "AIMPLB has refused tolisten to the many pleas of women on the complete unfairnessof arbitrary triple talaq." "… Muslim women have raised certain questions beforeSupreme Court and AIMPLB’s reaction is to completely ignorethese legitimate questions being raised by women who havesuffered because of this practice, which exists in no othercountry in the world except India." Renowned women’s right activist Kamla Bhasin said it isAIMPLB which is being un-Quranic. "Through Quran, Prophet Mohammad challenged all theexisting religions and tradition to move towards equality andjustice and that was the main goal of his life." "… He also said that after me if there is injustice,wise people of that time can take a decision. He gave peoplethe right to re-interpret." "… I feel that these men (AIMPLB) are not following whatQuran had to say," said Bhasin. She added, "Our most important religious, oral, ethicalbook is our Constitution. If any religion goes against that itneeds to be challenged and changed." PTI JCZMN