LUCKNOW: Syeda Hameed's report on the status of Muslim women in India, titled "The Voice of the Voiceless", is a bold initiative, bluntly documenting the double disadvantage of being women and Muslims in India. As a member of the National Commission for Women, Dr Hameed conducted public hearings from Kerala to Kashmir, from Calcutta to Surat. Everywhere, it was the same story, as women spoke of community objections to sending girls to school after puberty, the looming threat of triple talaaq, zero maintenance, multiple marriages and no child support. The biggest fear for Muslim women is the triple ax talaaq. Sometimes, the report says, it is uttered in anger and irresponsibility, in one breath, ruining the lives of women and children forever because they have no means of subsistence. The document indirectly touches on the delicate issue of Muslim personal law. It clearly shows how Indian Muslim women in particular are legally disadvantaged compared to Muslim women in other countries. In Türkiye, traditional Muslim law has been replaced by a modern civil code, and even in countries like Iran, men and women have similar divorce rights. Indonesia and Malaysia have abolished polygamy and there is an express or implicit abolition of the so-called triple talaaq. In India, a man can support four wives and divorce his wife whenever he wants without giving any reason, even in his absence. If the husband cannot pay maintenance, the responsibility lies with the Waqf committees, which are painful. There is also no provision for child support. All this is attributed to doctrinal and patriarchal interpretations of the Shariat, because it is not codified. However, there are pockets of light. Chennai for example has a strong...... middle of paper...... animals (boiling green leaves). During all his evening activities, he makes his children sit nearby and study. Their education is a priority. It's past ten in the evening. The lady who has worked all day goes to bed to recover just enough energy to work the next day. Men in Garhwal also go to bed after a "tiring" day. All the work they do during the day is to sit, play cards and carrom and discuss politics, both national and international. Evenings are spent drinking and, more often than not, followed by wife abuse. The only real work they do is plowing on their small farms, working for just a few days throughout the year. The women of Garhwal don't have a minute to waste. The women, who work day and night, taking on all the responsibilities, tired but smiling and hard-working, continue to wish that tomorrow is another day.