Even though mahr or dower is allowed in the Islamic family law, women face layers of obstacles to get it. At the same time, they get deprived of their paternal property, leaving them with nothing. Mahr is a gift of cash or wealth given to the bride upon marriage by the husband’s side, as part of the obligations of the marriage contract. The time has come to rejuvenate the golden era’s rights protections legacy, when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his righteous companion ruled the Muslim world.
If a woman does not have other rights, she will never be able to realise the right to mahr. Many women need mahr to restart their lives after divorce. Law allows women to receive mahr, but in certain sections of the society, it is men who take dowry. In Hindus Law brothers tell sisters that they have been given dowry during marriage, so they cannot have any claims on paternal property. The women do not have any control over this dowry. Women have to wait for years on end for courts to settle mahr-related cases before they can get the amount they are entitled to.
Speakers at a virtual discussion on challenges to obtain mahr have opined that the arbitration council should be empowered to deal with mahr-related cases. They also said that the time limit for filing dowry-related cases should be withdrawn as soon as possible. Mainstream religious clergymen and social leaders remain mute on the mandatory provision of marriage and inherent property rights of women. The sense of religion is very strong in our society, however, daughters’ rights on father and mother property remain neglected. The rights campaigners and social leaders are nonchalance about the violation for years.
A new social movement should be here which will guide the society in line with human rights and prevent many nonreligious, superstitious, wrong cultures from exploiting women in the name of religious rites. Religious preachers and social institutions should come up jointly to fight against the draconian system.
