A UNITED JAMAAT WAS SET UP IN VELLORE DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU

A UNITED JAMAAT WAS SET UP IN VELLORE DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU
V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN

          M. Mohammed Hashim sahib, President

           N.Mohammed Sayeed sahib, General Secretary

           M. Rafeeque Ahmed sahib, Convenor


It is heartening to know that an important meeting of Vellore district Masjid Muthawallis was held at Melvisharam in Tamil Nadu on 21st December 2009 and a common platform was formed with a view to reform the community and be helpful to it. Three industrialists M. Mohammed Hashim sahib of Melvisharam, N. Mohammed Sayeed sahib and M. Rafeeque Ahmed of Ambur were elected as President, General Secretary and Convenor respectively of the organisation and some others as Committee members.

We congratulate all concerned for this formation and hope that the Muslim community which is educationally and economically backward will receive the required support and guidance from this organisation. We suggest to the organisation to take up the following agenda and do the needful:

1. To create awareness among Muslims for the importance of higher professional education and help the meritorious poor and needy students to get it.
2. To reform the community from evils such as dowry, triple divorce etc. by imparting Islamic values and thoughts to them.
3. To make Jumma sermons in masjids useful to the society and achieve the above objectives.

One of the issues discussed in the meeting was the recently enacted registration of marriages Act 2009 of Tamil Nadu.

We all know that the Tamil Nadu government has brought in registration of marriages Act 2009 vide its G.O. Ms. No.987, Home (Courts –IV), effective from 24th November 2009 for all religious communities in accordance with the Supreme Court invocation and in consonance with the U.N. General Assembly convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women held in 1979 and ratified in 1993. It is said that our country agreeing in principle that registration of marriages was necessary had expressed its reservation as ours is a plural country with different customs, traditions, castes, creeds, religions and educational levels.

In spite of the reservation expressed by India in the above convention, the supreme court in Seema vs Ashwini Kumar case noted with concern that in large number of cases some unscrupulous persons are denying the existence of marriage as there is no official record of the marriage in most states and hence invoked the need for registration of marriages throughout the country. All the states including the union territories felt that it is highly desirable particularly for the prevention of child marriages which are prevalent even now in almost all parts of the country.

According to reports available, most of the states have framed rules regarding registration of marriages with varying degrees of emphasis. While in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat etc. registration of marriages is compulsory, it is not so in some other states like Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Meghalaya etc.

It is also a fact that Muslims in India particularly in Tamil Nadu have been maintaining records of marriages since pre-partition days. One feels that if the registration of marriage is nothing but just giving information about every solemnised marriage, it should be welcomed as it will be beneficial to the Muslim community.

The Corporation of Chennai records all birth and death details given by hospitals, individuals etc. and make them available in its website. Anybody can have the certificate of birth or death from the website anytime and use it. Things are so simple now, thanks to the technological advancement. If marriages are registered, it will be on record in the website and be useful to all. Generally speaking the registration of marriages Act seems to be beneficial to the community as it is meant to eradicate many evils of the society such as child marriages.
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