Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Triple talaq

Sir, — There is a lot of talk about banning the triple talaq, little sensing that the word of God cannot be banned, abrogated or modified, but can only be interpreted. The issue of triple talaq is also to be interpreted in the light of the Quran and Hadis.

It is unfortunate that the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, though a conglomeration of all schools of thought, dominated by the Deobandi school, has been evading its responsibility on this issue for decades, and is yet to arrive at a final decision.

K. Malikul Azeez,

Chennai

Sir, — Congratulations on the editorial `Triple talaq'. It shows your concern over the exploitation of Muslim women by an unIslamic practice under the name of Islamic law. You rightly pointed out that this practice is not recognised by the Shia sect. There is another sect named Ahle-Hadith that also rejects this inhuman practice in toto. This sect has a remarkable presence in different parts of India and its religious and educational activities are well recognised in the country and abroad.

Athar Afzal,

New Delhi

Sir, — For those who may wish to shake off the crushing weight of dead words, Mahatma Gandhi has shown the clear way. We may recall his words such as: 1. Scriptures cannot transcend reason and truth. 2. Error can claim no exemption even if it can be supported by the scriptures of the world. 3. I do not hold that everything ancient is good because it is ancient. I do not advocate surrender of the God-given reasoning faculty in the face of ancient tradition. Any tradition, however ancient, if inconsistent with morality, is fit to be banished. 4. I decline to be bound by any interpretation, however learned it may be, if it is repugnant to reason or moral sense. 5. My belief in the Hindu scriptures does not require me to accept every word as divinely inspired.

Our effort should be to convince more and more followers of all religions to think along these lines.

Mahendra Meghani,

Bhavnagar, Gujarat

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