Talaq, talaq, talaq ?

CHANDIGARH: A terse "talaq, talaq, talaq" phone call seeking divorce is the latest twist in the controversial high profile marriage of former
Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammed with his estranged second wife Fiza alias Anuradha Bali.

Fiza told reporters here on Saturday that Chand had called her up from London late on Friday night and uttered "talaq" three times. He also sent her an SMS with the message to confirm that he was divorcing her, she said.

The latest drama in the Chand-Fiza love episode came just days after Chand was given a clean chit by the Punjab Police at Mohali town near here on a complaint of rape, cheating, intimidation and hurting religious sentiments filed by Fiza against him.

She said she would seek legal recourse against Chand for deserting her.

Both mysteriously disappeared in November last year and re-appeared in December after 40 days as a married couple after embracing Islam. They had changed their names from Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali to Chand Mohammed and Fiza respectively.

He lost his job as Haryana's high-profile deputy chief minister.

The marriage lasted hardly 40 days with Chander Mohan suddenly leaving Fiza's house Jan 28 and not communicating with her after that.

Muslim clerics have termed as "un-Islamic" and "unacceptable" conversion to Islam to escape legal complications of a second marriage citing the example of Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammed and Anuradha Bali alias Fiza whose apparent wedding of convenience is now showing signs of strain.

"Adopting Islam with an intention for second marriage is not only un-Islamic but against reason as well," renowned Muslim scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan said.

The debate about religious conversion was triggered after then Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan announced his second marriage to former law officer Anuradha Bali and their conversion to Islam December 17 last year. Chander Mohan is the father of three teenagers from his first marriage.

The much-hyped love affair soured sooner than expected after the rechristened couple of Chand Mohammad and Fiza fell apart. Chand suddenly left Fiza's home in Punjab's Mohali town on January 28 and has been elusive since then.

Quoting from a hadith, Prophet Mohammed's saying, Khan said such conversion is "unacceptable" and "childish".

The author of around 200 books and a known authority on interpretation of the holy Quran said that embracing Islam "in its true spirit should be for the sake of truth".

"Conversion should not be for the sake of marriage or any personal motive. The motive of conversion should be truth... The realisation of the truth in a religion can be achieved only after in-depth study and discussions about the religion," Khan said.

To prevent such conversions, Khan laid emphasis on educating people about the sanctity of the institution of marriage and "not to take it as fun".

"It is not possible to check such conversions. We are living in a society which provides freedom on such aspects to every one. The only thing we can do is to educate people about the seriousness and sanctity of marriage. Marriage is not a fun thing and we need to make people understand this," Khan said.

A senior cleric of Darul Uloom, a highly revered seminary in Deoband town of Uttar Pradesh, also denounced the conversions with the objective of marrying again.

"Adopting Islam with the intention to have a second wife is un-Islamic, incorrect and not justifiable," said Qari Usman, an expert on hadith.

About the Chand-Fiza marriage and conversion, Usman said: "Although he (Chand) became a Muslim, the whole chain of events has come out in a way that has sent a wrong message about the religion in society. People should not use religion for such motives."
Usman has also been pro-vice chancellor of the seminary that attracts thousands of students from India and other countries.

Darul Ifta, the fatwa department of the Darul Uloom, has also slammed Chander Mohan, saying his conversion was a "lowly act".

Mufti Muqarram Ahmad, a leading cleric in Delhi, says accepting Islam should be in consonance with belief in the tenets of Islam and "not for using it for personal hidden motives".

"One cannot know the real intention of a person but using Islam for purposes like to have a second wife is not in the spirit of Islam," Ahmad said.

Talaq, talaq, talaq.
You say that three times and hey presto, you are divorced.
Muslims have now gone hitech. They can now send the same message by SMS and they are freed of encumbrances.
The Muslim cleric is now fighting the raging controversy which their religion has created by allowing people to convert to their religion so that they can commit bigamy.
Their have been many instances where couples chose to change faith so that they could marry a second time. The earlier high profile case was of Hema Malini and Dharmendra, who too had converted so they could commit bigamy.
But why should the muslims allow four marriages?
Any sensible man would agree that one wife was more than enough for four life-times but marrying four wives in one life really rquires some strength.
That strength is shown by the little brats who roam the street committing small crimes in the beginning and then graduating into larger crimes, one example which we saw in the Mumbai blasts.
The Pakistanis would not have been able to do what they did without logistical support from disgruntled members of their community within India.
I do not say all Muslims are to blame.
The majority of them are good, peace-loving, God-fearing people who say their namaz five times.
However, when you have such ancient Shariat laws which supposedly allows polygamy and breeding of large brood of children, you can only get quantity and no quality.

Many muslim nations have forbid polygamy but our secular nation with the connivance of corrupt politicians are very wary to disturb this vote bank, little realising what harm it is doing to the community and the nation.
It is up to the enlightened and educated members of the community to lead their flock to educate them, show them light and remove them from the clutches of these
Imams and Maulvis with their Fatwa powers which are mostly misused..
Only them will their people prosper otherwise they will continue to live on the doles the government throws to them every now and then.

Radheshyam