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Two women, residents of Old City in Hyderabad, are fighting against the regressive practice of triple talaq after they were given talaq over WhatsApp by their husbands.

Syed Heena Fatima married Syed Fayazuddin Hussaini in February 2013. A few weeks ago, Heena received a WhatsApp message from her husband with the three words: ‘talaq, talaq, talaq.’ Her husband then sent her divorce papers from the United States, where he currently lives and works.

“I have two children, who will take care of my children? Sharia law lets you divorce me, but who is going to look after our children? Doesn’t Sharia law ask of you to take care of your children?” said Heena.

Heena’s sister-in-law, Mehreen Noor, then faced a similar thing. Mehreen, who is married to Syed Fayazuddin Hussaini’s brother Mohd Abdul Akheel, received a WhatsApp message from her husband informing her that she had been divorced.

“After marriage I found out that my husband’s name is Usman Qureshi. And now, without a reason, he sent me a divorce notice. They have made marriage into a joke,” said Mehreen.

The two women, along with their family members, have now lodged a complaint with the Chaderghat police and Mirchowk police station.

The regressive practice employed by Muslim men to divorce their wives instantly without their consent, by uttering the word ‘talaq’ thrice has been in practice in India for many years now.

Several Muslim women were forced to accept the discriminatory Triple Talaq Sharia law owing to pressure from certain elements from within the society.