One Million Indian Muslims Sign Petition Against Triple Talaq

As the battle against triple talaq picks up momentum by the day, over a million Muslims from across India, with women in majority, have signed a petition to end the controversial divorce practice.

According to the Quran, a man must consider his decision for a period of three months after he initially declares talaq, and divorce is granted only after the remaining two "talaqs" are stated.

The petition was started by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an Islamic organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), reports CNN, adding that the positive response to the petition has been linked with the Bharatiya Janata Party's recent success in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

Muslims make up 18.5 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's 200 million-strong population, the largest state in India, as per the recent census.

Several women have filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking the quashing of the triple talaq practice. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has defended the practice, saying it is better to divorce a woman than kill her.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that he favoured the discontinuation of the practice, stating that “lives of Muslim women cannot be allowed to be destroyed by triple talaq.” He also targeted the opposition for ‘politicising’ the issue and supporting a gender-discriminatory practice to appease their vote banks.

With Inputs From ANI.