The curious case of Chander Mohan and the anachronism of the sharia law in India
Today's Wall Street Journal reports about an Indian politician's escapade.Basically, this guy wanted to have an affair and marry his mistress and made full use of India's archaic legal system. While even many Islamic countries don't have sharia law allowing folks to marry multiple wives, India has them. One cannot believe a secular 21st century democracy, giving equal rights to both sexes still follows some archaic law that is hopelessly out of place with the march of the modern civilization.
When will India come to modern age and repeal such anachronistic laws?
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123552228845764863.html
"Chander Mohan, deputy chief minister of the northern state of Haryana, made a shocking announcement. Mr. Mohan, whose overwhelmingly Hindu state of 23 million people is among India's most prosperous, declared that he had converted to Islam. The 43-year-old father of two added that he had also just wed a second wife, another Muslim convert....
What's happened since has all the trappings of a Bollywood plot, replete with an alleged kidnapping and mysterious disappearances. The drama's serious subtext shows how crucial religious identity remains in a country that bills itself as the world's largest secular democracy....
...A divorcee, Ms. Bali says that her affair with the politician began after the two met by chance at a juice stall in 2004. She says she yielded to Mr. Mohan's insistent messages and love letters -- some of which, she claims, were written in blood.
...Indian law, however, prohibits bigamy and makes divorce a complicated procedure. It might have been especially complicated in Mr. Mohan's case because his house and numerous other assets are registered in the name of Ms. Bishnoi and their children.
Yet, there was a loophole: India's 150 million Muslims, unlike other Indian citizens, are exempted from the secular legislation in family matters. Instead, they are governed by Islamic personal law, or sharia, which permits Muslim men to have up to four wives. "
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