THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 8, 2016- Topic 1
Triple whammy
The EGREGIOUS
practice that many Muslim men employ to divorce their wives instantaneously and
without their consent, merely by uttering the word talaq thrice, was RENDERED legally invalid by the Shamim Ara vs State of UP judgment of
2002 and subsequent orders from various High Courts.
But this has not stopped the practice; many Muslim women are unaware of the judgments or have had to accept such pronouncements OWING to pressure from conservative sections. Many women have undergone severe trauma after being thrown out of their homes. Shayara Bano, one such victim of this ARBITRARY custom — not to speak of years of domestic violence — has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the practice. The conservative All India Muslim Personal Law Board that seeks to WIELD influence on questions of Muslim personal law has, predictably, found it an occasion to air its REGRESSIVE views on the issue. In a counter-affidavit, the Board has defended the practice in terms that are shocking even by its own standards. It claims that the custom is a way out to avoid long-running court proceedings and that, in the absence of triple talaq, a husband may resort to murdering or burning alive his wife because of the time-consuming legal proceedings that might otherwise be involved. It further claims that “Indian society is PATRIARCHAL”, and that “personal laws of all communities are aligned with the patriarchal notion”. It defends the right to grant divorce to the husband alone, “because men have greater power of decision making” and uses a DUBIOUS line of argument on gender ratio to justify the practice of POLYGAMY.
But this has not stopped the practice; many Muslim women are unaware of the judgments or have had to accept such pronouncements OWING to pressure from conservative sections. Many women have undergone severe trauma after being thrown out of their homes. Shayara Bano, one such victim of this ARBITRARY custom — not to speak of years of domestic violence — has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the practice. The conservative All India Muslim Personal Law Board that seeks to WIELD influence on questions of Muslim personal law has, predictably, found it an occasion to air its REGRESSIVE views on the issue. In a counter-affidavit, the Board has defended the practice in terms that are shocking even by its own standards. It claims that the custom is a way out to avoid long-running court proceedings and that, in the absence of triple talaq, a husband may resort to murdering or burning alive his wife because of the time-consuming legal proceedings that might otherwise be involved. It further claims that “Indian society is PATRIARCHAL”, and that “personal laws of all communities are aligned with the patriarchal notion”. It defends the right to grant divorce to the husband alone, “because men have greater power of decision making” and uses a DUBIOUS line of argument on gender ratio to justify the practice of POLYGAMY.
The AIMPLB, a body with no legal status, has long
argued that divorce under Islamic law is undesirable and that triple talaq is a
SIN; however, it maintains it is a
valid and effective form of laying a marriage ASUNDER.
In truth, there is no sanction for the triple talaq in the Koran, which has
laid down elaborate injunctions on divorce, in stark contrast to the immediate
and IRREVOCABLE nature of the triple
talaq. This practice has been either explicitly derecognised in Muslim-majority
countries such as Indonesia, Iran and Tunisia or implicitly in countries such
as Pakistan, which provides for a mandatory arbitration procedure after the
pronouncement of talaq. The Supreme Court must not be SWAYED by the arguments put forth by the
AIMPLB, which has held that “personal laws cannot be challenged”. Considering
the clear and elaborately laid-down norms on marriage in the Koran that grant
equal rights to the husband and wife to PURSUE
divorce proceedings and the right to equality guaranteed in the Indian
Constitution, it is high time that the Supreme Court ruled this practice as
illegal.
Example: money serves as a reward for services rendered
Synonyms: give, provide, supply, furnish, contribute, offer
Egregious: outstandingly bad; shocking.
Example: egregious abuses of copyright
Synonyms: shocking, appalling, terrible, awful, horrendous, frightful, atrocious
Owing: yet to be paid.
Example: no rent was owing
Synonyms: unpaid, to be paid, payable, due, past due, overdue, undischarged
Arbitrary: based on random choice or
personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
Example: his mealtimes were entirely arbitrary
Synonyms: capricious, whimsical, random, chance, unpredictable, casual
Wield: hold and use (a weapon or
tool).
Example: a masked raider wielding a handgun
Synonyms: brandish, flourish, wave, swing, use, employ
Regressive: becoming less advanced;
returning to a former or less developed state.
Example: the regressive, infantile wish for the perfect parent of early childhood
Patriarchal: of, relating to, or
characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by men.
Example: a patriarchal society
Dubious: hesitating or doubting.
Example: Alex looked dubious, but complied
Synonyms: doubtful, uncertain, unsure, hesitant, undecided, indefinite
Polygamy: the practice or custom of
having more than one wife or husband at the same time.
Example: Polyandry (multiple husbands) has recently been abolished.
Sin: commit a sin.
Example: I sinned and brought shame down on us
Synonyms: commit a sin, commit an offense, transgress, do wrong
Asunder: apart; divided.
Example: those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder
Synonyms: apart, up, in two, to pieces, to shreds
Irrevocable: not able to be changed,
reversed, or recovered; final.
Example: an irrevocable step
Synonyms: irreversible, unalterable, unchangeable, immutable, final, binding
Swayed: move or cause to move slowly
or rhythmically backward and forward or from side to side.
Example: he swayed slightly on his feet
Synonyms: swing, shake, oscillate, undulate, move to and
fro, move back and forth
Pursue: follow (someone or something)
in order to catch or attack them.
Example: the officer pursued the van
Synonyms: follow, run after, chase, hunt, stalk, track, trail, shadow
