STATEMENT ON TRIPLE TALAQ AND UCC

RELEASE ON OCTOBER 20, 2016 BY MUSLIMS AND PEOPLE OF MUSLIM DESCENT

We, ordinary citizens, artists, intellectuals, writers, poets from the Muslim community, want to emphasis that the Muslim community in India is diverse, plural and heterogeneous. No single organization or group of people/organisations can claim to speak on behalf of the whole community. Muslims and people of Muslim descent living in India follow different customs and celebrate a large number of festivals some common to all and some different from each other depending on the local cultural practices of the region where they reside. They speak different languages and engage at multiple levels of the thought process.

We the undersigned Muslims and people of Muslim descent want to unequivocally state the following:

1.    We are against the instant arbitrary triple talaq as practiced in India and we support the demand of the Muslim women to abolish it.  

2.    The present regime and their earlier avatars have used Uniform Civil Code as a stick to frighten and demonize the Muslim community and polarize opinion by projecting that the Muslims of this country are backward, anti-women and not open to any progressive laws. Uniform Civil Code has been always been projected by such regimes and right wing politics as a Hindu v/s Muslim tool. The fact of the matter is that many of the personal laws irrespective of which religion they belong to are archaic and anti-women.

3.    We do not have any faith in the sudden found ‘love for women’ and ‘gender justice’ as articulated by Venkiah Naidu recently. Since the new regime has come to power we have seen heavy budget cuts on schemes for women, we have heard horrendous statements about women which have gone unopposed by the members of the regime, and we have witnessed growing violence against women as well as dilution of gender just laws such as the Domestic Violence Act (section 498A).

4.    We do not believe that in a country with over 4500 communities and over 400 spoken languages uniformity or tweaking of present unequal laws can ensure equality for men and women.

5.    We believe that social change is a slow process for which conditions on the ground need to be created where people have basic needs of housing, employment, food and good education. There is a need to first bring in progressive, gender just enabling laws which can be accessed by people from all religions. We have a Special Marriage Act under which people from any community or across religious communities and castes can marry each other. People have a choice to opt for Special Marriage act ( which is also being diluted by various right wing state governments by adding caveats to it) , similarly JJ Act has now provisions for people of any religion to adopt a child whether their personal laws allow it or not. More such laws which give equal rights to women in property and matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, custody of children etc should be brought in.

6.    We also strongly disapprove of the highly objectionable affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board regarding the triple talaq matter.

7.    We believe that to suppress the progressive demands for equality, led by various Muslim women’s organizations, the most conservative sections of the Muslim community are creating a Shah Bano campaign like situation so that they can keep the women subjugated and strengthen the patriarchal stronghold on the Muslim women.

8.    We appeal to all liberal, progressive sections of the Muslims as well as all other citizens to support the struggle of the Muslim women for reform and to expose the nefarious designs of both the present regime as well as of the patriarchal conservative Muslims who are colliding with the retrogressive forces to take the attention away from the most important issues and the failures of the present government on all fronts.

Endorsed by:

1.       Abadan Khan (Dr.), Academician

2.       Abbas Shamael Rizvi, Filmmaker

3.       Abdul Daiyan, Social Activist,Bihar

4.       Abdul Hamid Paramanik, Social Activist

5.       Abdul Mannan (Prof.), Academician, Assam

6.       Abdul MuhibMazumder, Former Advocate General, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh

7.       Abdul Salam (Prof.), President, Justice and Equity Demand Committee, Assam

8.       Abdul Salam, Social Activist, Assam

9.       Abdur Rahman Sikder, Lawyer, Gauhati High Court., Assam

10.   Ahij Uddin Seikh (Dr.), Educationist, Assam

11.   Ahmad Cameron (Dr.), Canada

12.   Ahmar Raza, Scientist

13.   Ali Javed (Prof.), Academician

14.   Amir Rizvi, Communication Designer , Mumbai

15.   Anowar Hussain, Social Activist, Assam

16.   Areeb Rizvi, Researcher

17.   Arshad Ajmal, Social Activist, Bihar

18.   Asad Ashraf, Journalist

19.   AsadHaider Zaidi, Co-Founder #ShoulderToShoulder Movement

20.   Asma Faheem (Prof.), Academician

21.   Ayesha Kidwai (Prof.), Academician

22.   Bismillah Diwan, Social Activist 

23.   Dilawar Saiyad, Lawyer

24.   Ehtasham Khan, Journalist

25.   Farhin Mirja, Young Activist, , Gujarat

26.   Farrukh S. Waris (Dr.), Academician, Mumbai

27.   Farzana, Mahila Patch work Professional, Gujarat

28.   Gauhar Raza, scientist, poet, filmmaker

29.   Haji Altaf Hussain, Social Worker, Gujarat

30.   HajraDarji, Social Activist, , Gujarat

31.   Hanif Mastaque Ahmed (Prof.), Academician

32.   Huma Nizami, Academician

33.   Iftikhar Alarm, retired professor, Aligarh

34.   Iqbal Ahmad, Journalist

35.   Irfan Engineer, social activist, Mumbai

36.   Jaffer Latief Najar, Researcher, Mumbai

37.   Juned Khan, Educator & Social Activist

38.   Kamrjahan Shekh, Social Activist, Gujarat

39.   Kaneez Fatma, Academician

40.   Karima Pathan, Social Activist, Kutch , Gujarat

41.   Kashif Ahmed Faraz, Social Activist, Youth Awakening Movement

42.   Kausarali Saiyad, Social Activist, Hamari Awaz Ahmedabad 

43.   Keramat Ali Seikh, Prominent Writer, Assam

44.   Maimoona Mollah, Women Rights Activist

45.   Mariam Fozia Rehman, Lawyer

46.   Matiurehman, Academician

47.   Md Zakir Hussain, Journalist

48.   Mehvash Haider, Medical Doctor

49.   Mohammed Hisham, technologist

50.   Mohd Altamash, Student Activist

51.   Mohd Arshad, Media professional

52.   Mohd Shahid (Prof.), Academician

53.   Monis Shamsi, Educator, Social Entrepreneur & Activist

54.   Naaz Raza, Social Activist

55.   Nadeem Hasnain (Prof.), Academician

56.   Nagma Shaikh, Women Rights Activist, Karnataka

57.   Najema Shekh, Social Activist 

58.   Najma Rehmani, academician, Delhi

59.   Nasiruddin, Journalist, Lucknow

60.   Nasmeen Shekh, Social Activist

61.   Naved Azam, Lawyer

62.   Nizamuddin Khan, Social Activist

63.   Noorjahan Diwan, Women Rights Activist , Gujarat 

64.   Noorjanah Ansari, Women Rights Activist, Niswa, Ahmedabad 

65.   Nusrat, Social Worker

66.   Ovais Sultan Khan, Social Activist

67.   Parvin Shekh, Social Activist, Banaskantha 

68.   Qamar Fatima, Social Worker 

69.   Rashida Ansari, Social Activist Janvikas Ahmedabad 

70.   Raza Haider, Social Activist

71.   Rehana Pathan, Junagadha

72.   Rehana Shekh, Dist. Surendrnagar  

73.   RejinaKhatun (Prof.), Women Rights Activist

74.   RiyazParmar, Social Activist, Rajkot Collective  

75.   S. Irfan Habib (Prof.), Academician

76.   S.Q. Masood, Social Activist, Hyderabad

77.   Sahba Farooqui, Women Rights Activist

78.   Sahir Raza, Filmmaker, Mumbai

79.   Sakil Shekh, Social Activist

80.   Sania Hashmi, Filmmaker

81.   Sarifa Chhipa, Social Activist 

82.   Sayed Shaad, Journalist

83.   Seema Cheepa, Social Activist , Ahmedabad 

84.   Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist

85.   Shahin Ansari, Ahmedabad

86.   Shakil Kapa, Youth Activist 

87.   Shamsul Islam, Author & Dramatist.

88.   Shareef Mohammad Khilji, Engineer

89.   Sheba Geroge, Social Activist

90.   Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, Islamic Feminist & Writer

91.   Shehla Hashmi, Potter, theatre

92.   Shehnaz Rathod, Social Activist,

93.   Sohail Hashmi, Journalist & Filmmaker

94.   Sultan Ali Ahmed (Dr.), Educationist

95.   Syed Tanveer Nasreen (Prof), Academician, Kolkata

96.   Uzma Mollah, Mediaperson

97.   Vahida Nainar, Women Rights Activist, Mumbai

98.   Yasmin Qureshi, Himatnagar

99.   Zamser Ali, President, BTAD Citizen Rights Forum, Assam

100.                        Zulaikha Jabin, Social Activist