Muslims in India were subjected to many harassments regarding their rights and the seizure of their historic mosques during the Modi era (Reuters)
On Wednesday, lawmakers in a small Indian state ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party approved historic legislation unifying civil status laws between religions, in a move opposed by many Muslim minority leaders in India.
The adoption of this law by the state of Uttar Kand, located in the Himalayan region, makes it the first state in the country since its independence from Britain in 1947 to adopt and implement a unified civil code.
The passage of this law comes months before the general elections in India, and is a controversial promise from the Bharatiya Janata Party that has been in place for decades.
Currently, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and other minorities in India follow group-specific personal laws and customs or optional secular law for marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance.
The move in the state of Uttar Kand, which bans polygamy and other Islamic practices, is expected to pave the way for other states ruled by the Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party to follow the same path, despite angry opposition from leaders of India's powerful Muslim minority, which numbers 200 million people.
This law, derived from the secular Indian Constitution, puts an end to the parallel between religion and the laws guiding marriage, divorce, alimony, inheritance, adoption and succession.
The law specifies the minimum age for marriage for both sexes. It guarantees equal rights between men and women in matters relating to divorce and inheritance sharing, and grants rights to adopted children and those born out of marriage or via a surrogate womb.
India consists of about 80% Hindus and 14% Muslims, and has the third largest number of Muslims in a single country in the world.
Muslims accuse Modi's far-right nationalist party of following a list of Hindu priorities biased against them and directly imposing laws that conflict with their Islamic faith.
Muslims also complain of restrictions since Modi took power, which led to the outbreak of sectarian violence in which many Muslims were killed, in addition to the Hindus seizing historic mosques and Muslim lands, claiming that they are “sacred lands” for Hindu temples.
The new law requires men and women to register their marriage and also submit notification if they are in a cohabiting relationship to a government office. The police must also be informed of the termination of the cohabitation relationship.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters