New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged the Muslim community to ensure that the triple talaq issue was not "politicised", and hoped that intellectuals from the community would come forward to fight the practice.
Addressing an event marking the birth anniversary of Kannada philosopher Basaveshwar here, Modi voiced the hope that Muslims in India would "show the path of modernity" to their counterparts across the world.
"There is so much debate on the triple talaq these days. Looking at the great tradition of India, my mind is filled with the hope that powerful people will emerge from the community in this country (to) eradicate outdated practices, evolve modern systems," he said.
"It is the strength of our country's soil that people from the (Muslim) community will emerge to save our mothers and sisters from this trouble," he said, referring to the practice of triple talaq.
He said reform has always come to our society from within, whenever required and expressed confidence that reformers would emerge from within the Muslim community itself, to put an end to the pain suffered by some Muslim women, because of the practice of “triple talaq.”
The Prime Minister also urged the Muslim community not to look at this issue through a political lens.
Differences over practice of triple talaq exist in the Islamic Sharia since the tenure of second Caliph Omar (RA). Muslim scholars and jurists argue that concurrent talaq or triple talaq in one go has never been approved by Prphet Mohammad (peace be upon him), during the tenure of first Caliph Abu Bakr (RA) and the first two years of Caliph Omar's caliphate.
Caliph Omar later approved it as punishment, scholars argue, but later on the practice was annulled by Muslim jurists. It is on this basis, the practice of concurrent talaq has been termed invalid in most of the Muslim countries.
Muslims in India, majority of them followers of Hanafi school of thought, are adamant on the invalid concurrent talaq and are fighting a case with women activists in the Supreme Court.
Interestingly, some renowned Hanafi scholars have also ruled against concurrent or triple talaq. According to the sources in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the members fear that agreeing to any change on triple talaq would open floodgate of interference in other Sharia matters.
It is also learnt that there is a strong dissent among the members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMLB) and especially some women members are upset over board's handling of the situation.
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