By Mohammad Aleem
We, Muslims, unfortunately, hardly try to pay due attention to those issues which touch our lives in a greater way such as want of proper education, grinding poverty, social malice and many other such things. But, as some issue comes into focus, either by us or by any other sources, which has direct or indirect bearing on our religious beliefs, we erupt into rage in no time. Of late, an issue regarding the registration of marriage has surfaced and became a topic of debate in the media. But, if the government wants to implement it both in letter and spirit then what is the harm in doing so? After all, why Muslims all the time continue look at others with so much suspicion and disregard. Isn't it a fact that within the vast length and breadth of our country, child marriages and dowries are still prevalent and many deaths occur due to this malice, and many lives get withered due to sheer apathy shown by the irresponsible individuals and families? Sadly, we, Muslims, are also not far behind in imbibing those ill practices which are much prevalent in other communities in India.
It has been widely experienced and seen that still in many parts of our country many illiterate and irresponsible parents coax their children to marry in the early stage of their lives. They even don’t hesitate to send their little children for earning a living to faraway places, whose childhood should have otherwise been spent in schools and on the playgrounds. They don’t hesitate in spoiling their tender lives just to gain some narrow material benefits. Why don’t we raise a cohesive voice against it?
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Dowry practice is still quite prevalent in many parts of the country. Our society is also not immune to it. Our people take it as it is the necessary part of the marriage. And if one doesn’t meet the demand, he or she is subjected to inhuman and unethical behaviour. Even, we don’t hesitate in taking the precious lives of our young brides. Why don’t we stand against it and despise it as a bigger sin in our lives?
So, if the marriages get registered with a proper registration authority, it might help in curbing these social evils in a much more effective way. At least, the government will have a proper data of those persons who have got married, and in whose presence they have solemnized their marriages. If any wrongdoing comes in the married life of a couple, at least, they can be brought to justice and put to the appropriate trial by these preventive measures.
These days, a large group of our young men is also working abroad to earn a living. In that case, they need a valid marriage certificate if they want to take their spouse to their workplaces. Without getting a marriage certificate and certified by any proper authorized agency, no one can do that. In that case, we don’t then raise an issue that why the concerned departments are seeking a valid registration from us. We simply follow what they ask.
So, it is better to get every marriage registered which should also contain many essential clauses attached such as whom the person is going to get married with, whether he has taken the dowry, or any other such misdoings he has committed. In that case, we can at least nail such people and discourage such evil practices, which has seeped so deep in our lives.
It is easier to say that we love our religion, but how faithfully we practice it, is the question should be asked so often in our day-to-day life. The Government of India is taking a laudable step, and Muslims should themselves come forward for their own safety, security and betterment in their lives.
[Mohammad Aleemis a winner of many national level awards like Sanskriti Award for Literature, Urdu Academy Delhi Award, Navodit Lekhak Puraskar by Hindi Academy Delhi and National Junior Fellowship Award by Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He has many books to his credit, to name a few, Mere Nalon Ki Ghumshudah Awaz (a novel in Urdu and Hindi by Penguin Books, India, 2008), Saiyid Hamid - A Relentless Reformer (a biography in English). He can be contacted at mohammad.aleem1@gmail.com]
We, Muslims, unfortunately, hardly try to pay due attention to those issues which touch our lives in a greater way such as want of proper education, grinding poverty, social malice and many other such things. But, as some issue comes into focus, either by us or by any other sources, which has direct or indirect bearing on our religious beliefs, we erupt into rage in no time. Of late, an issue regarding the registration of marriage has surfaced and became a topic of debate in the media. But, if the government wants to implement it both in letter and spirit then what is the harm in doing so? After all, why Muslims all the time continue look at others with so much suspicion and disregard. Isn't it a fact that within the vast length and breadth of our country, child marriages and dowries are still prevalent and many deaths occur due to this malice, and many lives get withered due to sheer apathy shown by the irresponsible individuals and families? Sadly, we, Muslims, are also not far behind in imbibing those ill practices which are much prevalent in other communities in India.
It has been widely experienced and seen that still in many parts of our country many illiterate and irresponsible parents coax their children to marry in the early stage of their lives. They even don’t hesitate to send their little children for earning a living to faraway places, whose childhood should have otherwise been spent in schools and on the playgrounds. They don’t hesitate in spoiling their tender lives just to gain some narrow material benefits. Why don’t we raise a cohesive voice against it?
So, if the marriages get registered with a proper registration authority, it might help in curbing these social evils in a much more effective way. At least, the government will have a proper data of those persons who have got married, and in whose presence they have solemnized their marriages. If any wrongdoing comes in the married life of a couple, at least, they can be brought to justice and put to the appropriate trial by these preventive measures.
These days, a large group of our young men is also working abroad to earn a living. In that case, they need a valid marriage certificate if they want to take their spouse to their workplaces. Without getting a marriage certificate and certified by any proper authorized agency, no one can do that. In that case, we don’t then raise an issue that why the concerned departments are seeking a valid registration from us. We simply follow what they ask.
So, it is better to get every marriage registered which should also contain many essential clauses attached such as whom the person is going to get married with, whether he has taken the dowry, or any other such misdoings he has committed. In that case, we can at least nail such people and discourage such evil practices, which has seeped so deep in our lives.
It is easier to say that we love our religion, but how faithfully we practice it, is the question should be asked so often in our day-to-day life. The Government of India is taking a laudable step, and Muslims should themselves come forward for their own safety, security and betterment in their lives.
[Mohammad Aleemis a winner of many national level awards like Sanskriti Award for Literature, Urdu Academy Delhi Award, Navodit Lekhak Puraskar by Hindi Academy Delhi and National Junior Fellowship Award by Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He has many books to his credit, to name a few, Mere Nalon Ki Ghumshudah Awaz (a novel in Urdu and Hindi by Penguin Books, India, 2008), Saiyid Hamid - A Relentless Reformer (a biography in English). He can be contacted at mohammad.aleem1@gmail.com]