With three words, Muslim men in India can divorce their wives without their consent. The so called “triple talaq” is part of Islamic law and only applies to men, but that could soon change in India.
In a landmark speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hinted that he will move to protect the marriage rights of Muslim women in his country and ban the practice.
“What is the crime of my Muslim sister that just like that over the telephone someone says ‘talaq’ three times and her whole life should be ruined?” he asked the crowd gathered at a rally in Uttar Pradesh, in the country’s north.
“Should the rights of Muslim daughters not be protected? Should Muslim mothers and sisters not be given protection? Should Muslim sisters not be given equal rights?”
Mr Modi’s speech has been met with mixed reactions with some people criticising the Hindu Prime Minister for politicising the matter. Others are drawing attention to different women's issues such as the high numbers of rape and a bill to ensure 33 per cent of parliamentarians are female.
On the other side of the debate, citizens have been praising Mr Modi's rhetoric, with one woman telling the Deccan Chronicle the religious law “is unethical, un-Quranic and unconstitutional”.
