GUWAHATI: Triple Talaq (Instant divorce) is a criminal offence in India. The country crimanilised this form of instant divorce prevalent among the Muslims through Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.
The issue has remained contentious in the country. But triple talaq is not only banned in India. There are several Muslim countries, where this practice is illegal.
In a Lok Sabha debate in 2019, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said 20 Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Malaysia, banned the triple talaq.
“Why can’t a secular India do it?” he asked.
Saudi Arabia, considered the birthplace of Islam and known for being an extremely conservative country, has a ban on the practice. So does, Pakistan where it was banned when Muslim Family Law Ordinance was issued in 1961.
Countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia, Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Kuwait and Morocco too are among Muslim countries where triple talaq is banned.
Interestingly, Egypt was the first country to ban the practice – way back in 1929. In Afghanistan, triple talaq is invalid if in only one sitting.
Triple talaq divorce has no mention in Sharia Islamic law or the Koran, even though the practice has existed for decades.
“Islamic scholars say the Koran clearly spells out how to issue a divorce – it has to be spread over three months, allowing a couple time for reflection and reconciliation,” states a BBC report.
With inputs from BBC, PTI and Zee News
Photo by Tugba Demir from Pexels
