'Women can also give divorce'

An Islamic seminary has issued a fatwa stating that women can also give divorce to their husbands under certain conditions.

It was issued by the Darul Ifta (department of fatwa) of the Dargah Ala Hazrat seminary in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly town.

The fatwa, issued in response to a query from a resident of Bareilly, said that Islam provided women the right to give divorce to their husbands, but under certain conditions.

“Women can give a divorce if the husband is a drug addict, criminal, if he tortures her or has been afflicted by some serious illness,” said Mufti Mohammed Saleem Noori, a senior cleric at the seminary.

The cleric, however, said that such a divorce could only be given if the husband had conferred the right on his wife at the time of the marriage. “The parents of the woman can ask the prospective husband to give this in writing,” he added.

He said that Muslim parents in western countries often insist on such a document at the time of marriage if they feel their daughter might face trouble. “The document, to be signed by the husband, may state that he gives his wife the right to divorce him...it may also contain the method of the divorce,” the cleric said.

Talaq, especially triple talaq, has been one of the most debated issues in Islam, with clerics and women activists taking different stands.

Dargah Ala Hazrat is a widely respected religious place, which wields influence over the Muslims of the Barelvi sect all over the world.