A Muslim woman from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh,who has been voicing her opinion against the practices of triple talaq and halala, was issued a fatwa by a local cleric for “speaking against Islam”.
Dargah Ala Hazrat, an influential seminary in Bareilly issued a fatwa to Nida Khan on Monday. The fatwa was in response to a question by Jama Maszid Imam Mohammad Khurshid Alam Razvi who had spoken to Ala Hazrat about Khan’s statements against Islam.
A representational image | Source: Indian Express
As per the diktat, Nida has been ostracised from the religion for speaking against Islam and its practices. It also asks people to boycott her until she apologises.
“Halala is mentioned in the Quran. If she doesn’t apologise, she should be boycotted. Nobody should talk or greet her and people should stop eating with her. Nobody should visit her if she is taken ill and if she dies, they should not read her last prayer or let her be buried in a graveyard,” reads the fatwa, as per a report by The Times of India.
Nida Khan(triple talaq victim) has been ostracized from Islam because she has been regularly speaking against the religion and its practices. A fatwa has been issued against her: Khurshid Alam,Imam, Bareilly Jama Masjid pic.twitter.com/tx8JykhErr
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 16, 2018
Nida Khan, who is herself a victim of triple talaq and runs an NGO called Ala Hazrat Helping Society, has reacted strongly against the fatwa issued against her. “India is a democratic country. No one can ostracise me from Islam. Only Allah can decide who is guilty,” she said, reports PTI.
Nida got married to Usman Raza Khan of Ala Hazrat family in 2015. In 2016, she was given triple talaq by her husband after she suffered a miscarriage due to assault. She then took the matter to a court which declared the divorce invalid. Since then, she has been crusading for the rights of Muslim women and has been protesting against triple talaq and halala.
The Supreme Court had last year termed triple talaq invalid and unconstitutional. The apex court had ruled that triple talaq is a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which provides for equality before the law.
Triple Talaq (Photo: PTI)
While questioning the sanctity of the fatwa issued against her, Nida had said that no one has the authority to throw her out of Islam.
“These people have a personal rivalry against me as my case is still pending. On June 25, a charge sheet had been filed in the case and my husband is to appear in court on July 20. Now they need to do something, and like every other time, they are taking the help of Sharia. However this changes nothing and I will keep fighting,” she told Indian Express.
