Triple Talaq Bill in India: Muslim Women as Political Subjects or Victims?

Abstract

The recent proposed Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 has raised the new issues, which were long due to Muslim women in India. It has not only criminalised the practice of instant tin talaq (divorce), but also signifies the government’s intervention in defining the notion of gender justice to Muslim women. Importantly, this development not only highlights an emerging Muslim women’s activism in India but also an articulation of gender justice from within the community. However, an array of criticisms is also sprouting up against the Bill from different corners of the community, including Muslim women’s groups. The article is an attempt to address the multiple facets of the Bill; it also argues that the talaq issue alone cannot constitute the core of gender justice rather the interplay of various factors like Hindutva, communal violence and the marginal location of the Muslim community needs to taken into account to understand Muslim women’s question in India.

Keywords

Gender Justice, Talaq-e-Biddat, Hindutva, Marginality and Muslim Women, India

Author Biography

Esita Sur

Assistant Professor in Political Science

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