Muslim women activists say apart from triple talaq, issues like beef ban, riots harm community

Mumbai: Activists working for the welfare of Muslims, especially women, on Thursday said that apart from triple talaq, the community was grappling with several other serious issues that need to be addressed on priority. [caption id=“attachment_3425112” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Heads of several advocacy groups, mainly working in Maharashtra and Gujarat, asserted that lack of education and healthcare facilities, feeling of insecurity, beef ban, communal riots targeting the minorities, unemployment were some of the issues that Muslims were facing, which need to be addressed. Representatives of various groups, including Bebaak Collective, Aawaz-e-Niswaan, Parvaaz Sangathan, Janvikas, Sahiya and Muslim Mahila Manch addressed a press conference at Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh here. “We want what the Constitution says for equal opportunities and human rights to every Indian citizen. End of triple talaq would not guarantee alleviation of all the woes of Muslim women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand on triple talaq alone is not sufficient. It needs to go beyond that,” Hasina Khan of Bebaak Collective and an intervenor in Shayara Bano case, said. Terming the previous governments at the Centre as merely “vote seekers”, Khan said, “It is good that the Modi government has raised the issue of triple talaq, but it should also be cleared that we consider Modi as our hero. He needs to do a lot to instill a sense of social security among us.” Khairunnisa Pathan of Parvaaj Sangathan alleged that the rehabilitation process of riot-affected people in Gujarat was “poor and defective” as the government machinery was “not doing its job in a fair manner. “It’s good that triple talaq issue has got some momentum. But there are other issues as well, which are creating panic and insecurity among the Muslims countrywide. Apart from triple talaq, there are issues like health, education, sanitation and means of livelihood that needs to be addressed at the same time,” she said.