The Practice of 'Triple Talaq' Declared Illegal in India

On Tuesday, August 22, the Supreme Court of India annulled a practice that allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives by uttering the word 'talaq' three times. According to Reuters, this ruling is considered a significant victory for Muslim women who viewed this tradition as contrary to gender equality. The practice was prevalent among Muslim men in India, who would sometimes divorce their wives via Skype or WhatsApp by saying 'talaq' three times. The triple talaq tradition is common among some Sunni Muslims, while in Shia Islam, it refers to a situation where both spouses cannot remarry unless the woman marries another man who then either dies or divorces her. Based on the ruling on Tuesday, the Indian government must replace the triple talaq practice with new laws within six months. The ban on triple talaq was issued by a panel of five male judges from Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian backgrounds, with three judges ruling it unconstitutional. Many Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, have already banned this Islamic tradition. The opposition to the prevalence of this law has led to an unusual alliance between Muslim women and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In contrast, Muslim groups argue that the government has no right to interfere in religious matters. There are also concerns about the Hindu majority's attempts to limit the Muslim minority in India, which constitutes about 14% of the 1.3 billion population. Prime Minister Modi described the ruling as a 'historic' move, stating that abolishing this tradition rectifies the equality of Muslim women and is a powerful step towards empowering women. Maneka Gandhi, the Minister for Women and Child Development, also stated that the Supreme Court has the right to intervene in personal matters and has done so. However, some Muslim groups in India, while acknowledging the flaws in the triple talaq tradition, have stated that the Muslim community itself should have revisited this practice.