By Kulsum Mustafa for TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Half a dozen Shia clerics on July 2 called a press conference at Uttar Pradesh Press Club to condemn the shameful act of women publically beating up clerics and media sensitizing this act. They came in support of the three Shia clerics beaten up by women of the community.
Three Shia women, Nishat Fatima and two sisters Hina and Arshi had on June 29 barged into the premises of Sultanul Madaris, a Shia Shariat court in old Lucknow and had beaten up three maulvis (clergies). The angry women alleged that the maulvis — Maulana Moosa Rizvi, Maulana Asghar and Maulana Sadiq — had taken bribes from their husbands and had issued a one sided divorce degree in favor of their husbands. This, said the women, is wrong as the Shia law is very strict about a divorce and the same is only held valid when the woman to be divorced is physically present and is given a chance to present her side of the version. Only after hearing both the parties can the divorce degree be issued.
Terming calling of the press conference as a compulsion to clarify their position the clergies condemned the women for their indecent behavior of rebellion and criticized them for taking the law in their hands.
Only one of the accused clergy- Maulana Moosa Rizvi- was present at the press conference. The other two were conspicuous by their absence.
“We are neither here in support of the husbands who got the talaq (divorce) degree nor are we against the women who say that injustice has been done to him by granting a one sided divorce. We are here to protect the dignity of the Shia clergy and to protest against the shameful act of clergymen being beaten up by these women,” said Maulana Syed Ali Husain Qummi, general secretary Imamia Education Trust. The maulana was addressing media persons at an impromptu press conference at the UP Press Club on Friday afternoon.
Stressing that it was all a pre-planned move and aimed at maligning Shia community in general and the Sultanul Madaris of Lucknow in particular, the spokesperson said that in time to come they will expose before the public those persons who are behind this whole shameful act.
“Tell me if it was not all pre-planned how did the women manage to get all the media persons at the time they were roughening up the clergymen?,” asked Maharajkumar Sajjad Ali Aamli Miya of Mehmoodabad who had come to support the clergy.
Maulana Ali Qasim Rizvi said that the women before taking this extreme step should have gone to senior clergymen like Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawwed. By taking law into their own hands they have, said Rizvi, only made a mockery of their religion.
“This shameful act has made many in society point a finger at Shia believers. The whole world has seen clips of clergymen being beaten up by three women. What a shame. The matter could have been presented and solved in a more dignified manner,” said advocate Ali Gadeer Rizvi, member of the Trust.
While the maulanas took pains in defending their tribe they refused to make any comment on the circumstances which forced the women to resort to such behaviour. They evaded all media queries on the subject, the crux of the matter, the injustice done to the women. All they would say was that their means to achieve their end was wrong.
“Why are they meeting clergies like Kalbe Jawwed now? Why didn’t they do so before? It is clear that they have been instigated into doing what they did,” said Maulana Ali Qasim Rizvi.