27 June 2023, Mumbai: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent comments on triple talaq, Uniform Civil Code, and Pasmanda Muslims in Bhopal. Owaisi stated that PM Modi had misunderstood Barack Obama’s advice and challenged him to abolish the “Hindu Undivided Family” (HUF), which allegedly causes an annual loss of Rs 3064 crores to the country.
Former US President Barack Obama, in a media interview, warned that the country may “start falling apart at some point” if ethnic minorities are not protected. He urged PM Modi to consider the protection of the Muslim minority in a predominantly Hindu India during his meeting with President Joe Biden. Owaisi took to Twitter to express his views, emphasizing PM Modi’s purported misunderstanding of Obama’s advice and questioning the continuation of the “Hindu Undivided Family” system.
Accusing PM Modi of shedding “crocodile tears for Pasmanda Muslims,” Owaisi highlighted the alleged mistreatment and discrimination faced by Pasmanda Muslims in India. He criticized the government for the attack on mosques, job losses, demolitions of homes, incidents of lynching, opposition to their reservation, and the abolition of scholarships for poor Muslims. Owaisi called on PM Modi’s party workers to apologize to Pasmanda Muslims and address the issues faced by the community.
Referring to PM Modi’s mention of Pakistan’s ban on triple talaq, Owaisi questioned why PM Modi draws inspiration from Pakistani law. While acknowledging that a law against triple talaq was enacted in India, Owaisi argued that it has not effectively addressed the issues faced by women and has instead increased their exploitation. He emphasized the need for social reform beyond legislation and called for laws against men who abandon their wives after marriage.
PM Modi had criticized opposition parties for playing vote bank politics and appeasing certain communities, stating that those supporting triple talaq are doing a grave injustice to Muslim women. PM Modi questioned the necessity of triple talaq in Islam by highlighting its ban in countries like Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. He argued that if it were an essential tenet of Islam, these countries would not have prohibited it.
Article by PRITESH PATEL