Bhakti Chalak

A significant movement against the practice of polygamy has been launched by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA). The organisations is promising to relase a detailed report and a book based on a survey of 2,500 Muslim women in Mumbai on November 25. The report  that sheds light on the severe impact of polygamy on the lives of Muslim women will be released at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh.

It's an import event given that the Assam government is planning to pass a bill to ban the practice of polygamy, which is permitted under the Muslim personal law.

The 2,500 participants in this survey include many women whose husbands have remarried. The study covers both first and second wives. It examines the adverse economic, social, and particularly the mental and physical health consequences of polygamy on these women.

Under Section 82 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the earlier Section 494 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), polygamy is illegal in the country. However, this law does not currently apply to the Muslim community due to personal laws. There is also a lack of clarity in the courts regarding this issue. Consequently, a belief has taken root among Muslim men that they are free to marry a second time.

"Make Anti-Polygamy Laws Applicable to Muslims Too"

Speaking to 'Awaz-the voice, Marathi', Noorjehan Safia Niaz, co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, said, "Through this press conference, we will demand from the government that the country's law declaring polygamy illegal should be applied equally to the Muslim community. The main objective of this movement is to ensure Muslim women also get the protection of this law and to ban the practice of polygamy in society completely. Our only demand is that the government should make the necessary changes in the law for this."

Along with BMMA, organisations like 'Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy' (IMSD) and the 'Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal' (a progressive reformist organisation founded in Maharashtra) will also participate in this press conference. This important report will be brought to the public with their cooperation.

Dr Shamsuddin Tamboli, President of the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal, also shared his reaction with 'Awaz-the Voice, Marathi'.

He said, "We fully support this movement by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. On April 18, 1966, Hamid Dalwai (a pioneering social reformer from Maharashtra) led the first march of Muslim women, in which he had raised this very issue. Just as oral divorce (Triple Talaq) was a serious issue, the provision for polygamy in personal law represents injustice and inequality against Muslim women. Because it has legal recognition, it is used in society."

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He added, "BMMA has taken the initiative to study this scientifically and conduct a survey. More than the number of incidents, the fact remains that a system that is unjust to women is still in operation. Therefore, we demand that this law be repealed. The Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal supports the stance taken by this organisation on the issue of aggrieved Muslim women."