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WhatsApp talaq victim hails Supreme Court's verdict

Both the women had even approached the High Court demanding it declare the divorces illegal and arbitrary.

Hyderabad: “We are happy over the stand of the Supreme Court on the triple talaq issue. No more women will be victimized by a section of men who divorce their wives over flimsy reasons and push them in lifelong trouble,” said Ms. Mehreen Noor, whose husband Usman had sent her talaq through WhatsApp in February. Mehreen was married to US citizen Usman in 2015 and divorced two years later. Her cousin Ms Heena Fatima who was also divorced by Syed Fayazuddin, brother of Usman said that the government should bring in a law to curb the arbitrary practice of triple talaq.

“Unless, the law is made and awareness created on the subject by involving the scholars of the community many young women will face problems. Everyone knows how difficult it is for a divorcee to get an alliance,” said Heena.

Both the women had even approached the High Court demanding it declare the divorces illegal and arbitrary. Following the uproar over the case the police had registered two FIRs and arrested the parents of the men on various charges.

Victim sees hope in Triple Talaq ruling
A victim of instant Triple Talaq from Old City now plans to write to the embassy for justice. Twenty-six-year old Begum (name changed), who has been living for a year as a WhatsApp divorcee, is still knocking at the doors of justice as her husband remains unfazed in Dubai.

The young girl who married the 50-year-old man in 2015 was immediately taken to Dubai on a visit visa to nurse her ailing husband.

“He would beat me up daily and force me to have intercourse,” recollects Begum. This was her husband’s third marriage, and the moment he recovered, he sent her back to India.

“It just came one fine day, a message, on my brother’s WhatsApp. Talaq Talaq Talaq,” says Begum who says that she was not informed even once about it.

Post the triple talaq on WhatsApp, the Begum has been trying to make him face the law but the husband has refused to return.

“What the man and his family fail to understand is that the woman has also invested time and money in the marriage. They can’t merely walk out of it and expect the woman to remain silent,” says Ms Jameela Nishat, Founder of Saheeh Women’s Collective, who approached the Begum’s husband's family on her behalf.

She was then thrown out of her marital home without the mandated Iddat, which as per the Islamic law is the maintenance amount paid for three months post divorce.

She says, it is injustice that her husband remains in Dubai, without facing any consequences. The family refuses to return her belongings or come under a mutual consensus about the divorce or maintenance.

The aggrieved girl has now decided to approach the embassy and demand his return to India to have law take its course. “I do not want to return to this marriage, but he has taken my belongings and had deserted me this way.

With the Supreme Court banning Triple Talaq, the law must bring me justice,” says Begum who now works as a cook and house help.

“We welcome the Supreme Court ruling as they have kept in mind cases of instant talaq. Nobody can ruin the lives of innocent women in name of Islam now,” said Ms Sultana Begum, a counsellor for Muslim women.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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