{"id":344742,"date":"2023-07-16T00:57:25","date_gmt":"2023-07-16T06:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=344742"},"modified":"2023-07-18T01:03:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T06:33:35","slug":"hype-around-ucc-reeks-of-a-political-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/hype-around-ucc-reeks-of-a-political-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Hype around UCC reeks of a political design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Regarding the Uniform Civil Code, there ought to exist an atmosphere where the Muslims\u00a0 feel safe and secure and not wary of the\u00a0 \u2018right-wing agenda\u2019 moves to strip them of their very\u00a0 identity.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muslims in the country are shocked to hear the right-wing rulers of the country talking so enthusiastically of implementing the Uniform Civil Code!

It seems a well planned strategy. Before the 2017 elections in Uttar Pradesh, television \u00a0channels had started holding elaborate discussions on Triple Talaq, building \u00a0up the hype for \u00a0the Uniform Civil Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Regarding the Uniform Civil Code, there ought to exist an atmosphere where the Muslims \u00a0feel safe and secure and not wary of the \u00a0right-wing agenda that moves to strip them of their very \u00a0identity.

Today, Indian Muslims are wary of the right-wing, with adequate reasons for this aversion. Facts and figures go to show that Muslims are positioned in the most disadvantaged position, right from government jobs to educational facilities. Not to overlook the biases cum myths cum misconceptions against them. The basic conditions have only worsened for the community in these recent years. Discriminations and disparities and insecurities are increasing.

Today, as steady deterioration spreads out on several fronts, affecting the masses, when I\u2019m asked \u00a0what\u2019s the difference between a \u00a0Muslim poor and a Hindu poor, my answer is this: \u00a0no difference except that the \u00a0Muslim is surviving amidst \u00a0insecurity. Yes, the Indian Muslim is apprehensive, living in fear. Mind you, not from his fellow countrymen but from terror unleashed in the form and shape of goon brigades, political mafia, and the blatant biases spreading around.

Muslims cannot openly voice their disgust or dissent for fear of the aftermath. They could be branded militants or anti-nationals. Apprehensive is the Muslim community, as dents mount on the very identity of the Muslims.

Gone are the days of living-on-par. The anti-Muslim propaganda is not just on, but gaining momentum, getting well seeped into psyches. The Muslim is viewed with suspicion. And this hatred and distrust for the Muslim is on the rise. And if one were to read the disparities that the Muslim faces on any given front \u2013 housing, education, jobs, healthcare – you would realize the biases and discriminations. The Muslim sits disadvantaged; like a second class citizen. Elements of insecurity are bound to creep in, paving way for the connected aftermath. And the double or triple whammy is that since the Muslim is near-shunned and with that forced to survive in a ghetto. So where is the chance of \u00a0intermingling and getting to know the community! Also, shrinking are the forums and platforms from where he or she could be heard. This in itself is a worrying sign.

With this in the background or foreground, BJP\u2013RSS\u2019s \u2018concern\u2019 for the Muslim women seems unbelievable! Those who seem obsessed with the so-called \u2018triple talaq\u2019 ought to shed layers of hypocrisy! Instead, travel to the homes of the lynch victims and see for themselves the plight of their widows and children. Also, BJP rulers have done little to arrest rapists and tormentors of Muslim women during the 2002 Gujarat pogrom and also during the \u00a0Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 and \u00a0in the other riotous conditions where goon brigades targeted the Muslim community!
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I would also point out the two very basics: If the right-wing had been even one percent \u00a0genuine in their \u00a0concern for the Muslim women, there\u2019d be no rioting. To be nearer precision, riots wouldn\u2019t get manufactured! Each time a riot is \u2018made\u2019 to occur, the worst affected is the minority community, definitely the women and children. Reports on riots show this hard-hitting reality. The aftermath of riots is so severe in certain locales that the affected are too petrified to even speak out!

The \u2018Triple Talaq\u2019 issue was played up to such an extent that it reeked of a political agenda. Foremost, Triple Talaq is un-Quranic and with that un-Islamic, so it isn\u2019t a religious issue but more along the social strains. Not to be overlooked is this basic factor – Muslim community in today\u2019s political scenario is going through very harsh times. Compounding the mess, the Hindutva forces seem to be making sure that more Muslim men sit jobless if not arrested along the range of alibis. Hundreds of Muslim men are languishing in jails and prisons in the country \u2026 These deteriorating conditions have a trickle-down effect.

It gets relevant to mention that the notion of \u00a0Triple Talaq is played up although such incidents, of \u00a0men divorcing \u00a0their wives in this bizarre fashion, are rare and against the very \u00a0essence of Islam. Needless to \u00a0say that if and when such \u00a0incidents take place, they are \u00a0blown \u00a0out \u00a0of \u00a0proportion and the \u00a0impression that\u2019s relayed \u00a0is that \u00a0the Muslim men are \u00a0a barbaric lot and their women a herd of cattle! \u00a0Needless to add that today\u2019s political rulers miss no opportunity to paint \u2018Islam\u2019 in all \u00a0possible negative shades. Why has this propaganda been allowed to flourish? \u00a0This could be \u00a0because the Indian Muslims \u00a0are lagging on the socio-economic front, and together with that there\u2019s a \u00a0lack of confidence \u00a0to \u00a0counter \u00a0the communal elements in the \u00a0very \u00a0governance. Also, actual issues get lost in an atmosphere where only non-issues are allowed to flourish, so much so it\u2019s become highly fashionable to bash Islam! A national pastime!

*****

Another fall-out of the political climate of the day is that ghettoization is on the rise. Though this trend has been on for years, it has picked up, in keeping with the communal virus spreading out.

Muslim families are living under that constant fear of right-wing goon brigades attacking their women and children. And with that, men folk also put restrictions on the woman and \u00a0children moving away from homes without a male escort. Patriarchal holds have furthered in these recent years. Also, a considerable rise in the school drop put figures, more so in localities where schools are not too close to the ghettos.

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*****

\u00a0The \u00a0reality is that \u00a0Islam has actually \u00a0provided \u00a0enough \u00a0guidelines and \u00a0precautions and codes \u00a0of conduct \u00a0but most sit unaware. As Zeenat Shaukat Ali, who was teaching Islamic Studies \u00a0at Mumbai\u2019s St \u00a0Xaviers, had \u00a0put \u00a0across: “Wrong interpretations and then wrong perceptions are \u00a0given.”

And as Danial Latifi had detailed \u00a0the \u00a0crucial \u2018why\u2019 he \u00a0had \u00a0decided \u00a0to \u00a0take up \u00a0the controversial Shah Bano case. I quote from the interview he gave \u00a0me, “I found \u00a0Shah Bano \u00a0to be an over smart woman who took \u00a0full mileage out of the \u00a0case. Why did I take up her case? It \u00a0was not as though I opted to \u00a0fight for her\u2026I was watching \u00a0the \u00a0proceedings \u00a0of this case \u00a0with a \u00a0whole \u00a0galaxy \u00a0of \u00a0lawyers, including \u00a0the then Chief \u00a0Justice of India, Justice \u00a0Chandrachud . It was then, \u00a0whilst \u00a0her \u00a0case was \u00a0being \u00a0argued by a \u00a0junior lawyer, that the chief \u00a0justice \u00a0intervened \u00a0and asked \u00a0me, \u00a0why don\u2019t \u00a0I, as a senior \u00a0lawyer, fight \u00a0for \u00a0her. So I had no choice but to fight \u00a0for her.”

\u00a0Latifi had made \u00a0it very clear that \u00a0Shah Bano \u00a0had got her due \u00a0maintenance on the basis and \u00a0“strength of Quran’s provisions.” \u00a0

As he’d detailed to me, “First of all, despite the contrary \u00a0belief, marriage is a very serious business \u00a0in \u00a0Islam. Coming to the chapter on talaq, it is this chapter that lays down all the \u00a0details including the procedure for talaq and the \u00a0importance given to the arbitration aspect and, of course, the \u00a0maintenance aspect. \u00a0The fact is that triple talaq is un-quranic. In fact, \u00a0one \u00a0particular line from the \u00a0Quran \u00a0– wa \u00a0lil \u00a0mutha \u00a0laqati \u00a0mataun bil \u00a0maroof \u00a0haqqam alal \u00a0mutaqqin (unto the divorced \u00a0woman, a \u00a0provision \u00a0that \u00a0is \u00a0reasonable \u00a0in the \u00a0eyes \u00a0of \u00a0God, \u00a0is \u00a0obligatory, an \u00a0obligation for the \u00a0 righteous ) – is enough to \u00a0 provide \u00a0her \u00a0status and a decent \u00a0maintenance. And \u00a0whilst \u00a0fighting \u00a0for the \u00a0Shah Bano case, I quoted this \u00a0line and \u00a0 the \u00a0minute I showed this \u00a0line to the chief \u00a0justice, he said that line was enough to get her due, her maintenance. So Shah Bano got her due maintenance on the strength of Quran’s provisions.”

Latifi was \u00a0against the Common or the Uniform \u00a0Civil \u00a0Code and \u00a0blamed the BJP for \u00a0making \u00a0it \u00a0into some sort of \u00a0a political \u00a0issue – “I \u00a0repeat that I\u2019m not in favour of a Common Civil \u00a0Code. It is not needed . Also, because \u00a0it \u00a0has \u00a0become a political \u00a0issue and the \u00a0BJP and \u00a0its \u00a0allies \u00a0are \u00a0looking for an \u00a0issue and want to \u00a0rake \u00a0it \u00a0up. I personally feel the Muslims do not need it.”

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*****

The \u00a0New Delhi sociologist of \u00a0international repute, \u00a0who passed away \u00a0last month, Professor Imtiaz Ahmad, was absolutely firm and constant in his stand against the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. He\u2019d spoken out that it\u2019s another of right-wing ploys to cause upheavals and disruptions. Also, his \u00a0basic argument \u00a0against the \u00a0Uniform Civil \u00a0Code was this: There \u00a0is \u00a0no \u00a0 uniform definition \u00a0of marriage in the communities, so why and \u00a0how will the Uniform Civil Code be implemented! Not to be overlooked is the basic fact that for the Muslim community, marriage is a contract.

*****

Whilst on the Uniform Civil Code I have been speaking to a cross section. And all the Muslims I\u2019d spoken to, are totally against the Uniform Civil Code. They told me the Quran carries ample provisions to safeguard the rights of the women in situations of divorce and maintenance and connected factors.

They do not want any changes or interference in their Personal Laws. Also, they do not trust this \u2018sarkar\u2019, as blows and dents are inflicted on the Muslim community on a daily basis and their very identity and survival is at stake. The young Muslims sounded very upset as the blatant targeting and communal assaults on them by the right-wing brigades are increasing and yet there is no protection or remedy from the government.

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Regarding the Uniform Civil Code, there ought to exist an atmosphere where the Muslims\u00a0 feel safe and secure and not wary of the\u00a0 \u2018right-wing agenda\u2019 moves to strip them of their very\u00a0 identity. Muslims in the country are shocked to hear the right-wing rulers of the country talking so enthusiastically of implementing the Uniform Civil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,14770,2205],"tags":[262,17014],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":344746,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344742\/revisions\/344746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/344743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}