Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has opposed the triple talaq bill passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, terming it as “interference in religious affairs of Muslims”.

Reacting strongly to the triple talaq bill which seeks to criminalise instant divorce, Mohtamin (Vice-Chancellor) of Darul Uloom Deoband, Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, said that the bill not only targeted Muslim men but was also against the welfare of Muslim women.

“The move of (Narendra) Modi government to bring a legislation to criminalise triple talaq is a direct interference in the religious freedom of Muslims. It is an infringement of Shariat law. Muslims want to lead their life and conduct their family and social affairs strictly as per provisions of Shariat,” Nomani said.

“It is not a matter of single or triple talaq. With the passage of the bill, divorce will stand void and the man will be sent to jail. But society will see the couple as divorced. If that happens, who will take care of the woman and the children — the court or the government?” Nomani argued.

“In Islam, we have provision for meher (paid to the wife by husband at the time of marriage) and maintenance but the bill is silent on these issues,” he said

Located in Saharanpur district, the 150-year-old Darul Uloom is considered one of the most influential seminaries of Sunni Muslims in India.

Stating that triple talaq was not Islamic and Shariat also forbid it, the Deobandi cleric said, “We wish to categorically state that Muslims of India would never accept the law (on triple talaq). It would have been better had the Prime Minister conducted the affairs of his government as per Constitution and established practice of Indian democracy,” he added.

Another organisation of Deobandi Sunni Muslim clerics, Jamait Ulma Hind, also criticised the bill saying, “Modi government is acting in an arbitrary manner.” 

President of the organisation, Maulana Kari Usman, said that the National Democratic Alliance government and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad should have consulted Islamic experts before bringing the bill and by ignoring them they had done great injustice to Muslims.

All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, which also includes prominent clerics from Darul Uloom Deoband, has also asked the NDA government not to pass the bill criminalising instant talaq. 

The AIMPLB had urged the Prime Minister to withhold and withdraw the Muslim Women (Protection of Marriage) Bill, 2018, as it was not only “against Shariat but also against the verdict of Supreme Court”.

Meanwhile, Aytiya Sabri and advocate Farah Faiz of Deoband, who petitioned the Supreme Court against triple talaq, criticised the opposition parties for resisting the triple talaq bill.

Sabri said the opposition parties should amend their stand and help the passage of the bill in Rajya Sabha. She praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “He not only gave a patient hearing to Muslims and realised the gravity of the problem but also took a decisive step for a solution.”

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan said that no law except Quran would be acceptable to Muslims of India.