Talaq just an sms away – The Pioneer –16.12.11

The decision of an Imam in an Ut t  a r   P r a d e s h  mo s  qu e declaring SMS via talaq valid is likely to  pen the Pandora’s box for Muslim clerics in India.  The Imam in Muradnagar district held that an SMS  ent by a man stating talaq thrice to his wife was valid for a divorce. Shahid’s wife Parveen on Wednesday  ad received an SMS with  talaq typed three times sent by him. The Imam’s version came to light when Parveen’s uncle Sajid said that the Imam told the families that the two cannot unite now as their marriage has been nullified by the talaq (divorce) via SMS. Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid Syed Imam  ukhari, when contacted also seconded the decision, but said that the marriage will be considered void  only if the husband confirms that the message was sent by him. Bukhari said, “There are different ways  f giving talaq. It can be given orally, in  written or even, over the phone  or through an SMS. In this c a s e           marriage will be considered terminated if the husband confirms that the message was sent by him.” The coupl e  had mar  r  i  ed  t h re  e months ago, but Parveen had returned to live with her parents du e    o       me   d i f  f e  re  n c e s . Reportedly, Shahid tried to bring her back but failed to do so after which he had  ent the SMS, Sajid said. Reportedly, many other local maulvis in Murdanagar have given their sanction to  he high-tech split. Though the practice of terminating marriage via this technology is prevalent in countries like UAE, Kuwait, Tajikistan and Malaysia, it is not a common practice in nonMuslim countries.  he first incident of such practice was reported in India from Lucknow  in 2005 when 24-year-old Saba Khaliq from Moradabad was found at the ‘receiving end’ of modern technology when her husband sent  er an SMS with the dreaded words talaq, talaq, talaq. A similar dramatic way of divorcing one’s spouse   ad come in news in March 2009 when Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chand Mohammed divorced his wife Fiza over phone and through SMS, accusing her of making ‘false’ allegations against him.