The issue with Imran Khan's third marriage

We need men in our society who respect and support women

Why has it created hype? After all why are people unable to accept it? Why is everyone so enraged about it? There is nothing wrong with the marriage in itself. It is religiously and legally correct. Then what is the issue? The issue is the trend that Mr Khan has set, that it is OK to repeatedly "Divorce" women and "Re-marry" another.

There are people in electronic and social media alike, who are rationalizing Mr Khan’s re-re-re-marriage.  According to most of such opinions neither is Divorce the end of life nor should it be considered as a STIGMA. While I agree to the aforementioned statements as it is yet I have serious concerns when it is said for the remarriage of Mr Khan. Has divorce ever been as big of a stigma for men in our society as it has been for women? Proportionately speaking it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it has not been a stigma for men at all. And who has the right to divorce? A MAN. Therefore, what incensed many people in Mr Khan’s scenario is the exploitation of right to divorce and the ease of divorcing one woman and getting married to another. People who support this refer to the fact that in Islam marriage is encouraged. However, one shouldn’t forget that in Islam Divorce is strongly discouraged and is considered as the most abhorrent and reprehensible act. Ibn `Umar reported, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, said:"With Allah, the most detestable of all things permitted is divorce." 1 (AD. 13: 3.)

Moreover, marriage is not only about "Halal Consummation". It is about a commitment to a lifelong companionship and respect, love and affection towards each other. If at all not all these, it is still a huge responsibility. Any excuses like workload etc is not enough to exempt a man from the responsibility of trying hard to sustain a marriage. Divorce is the last resort to ultimately end a marriage; nevertheless, by supporting circumstances such as Mr Khan’s we are promoting and endorsing exactly the averse.

In my humble opinion Mr Khan is being disrespectful towards women. Because as said earlier taking a woman in ‘nikah’ in not enough to show respect towards them; especially when they are dumped/divorced with such an ease. This, in my view, is equivalent to degrading a WOMAN’s dignity. This cannot be expected of a leader as popular as Mr Khan. He is practically setting an example that "divorcing" and then "taking a new one" is not a big deal at all. The message sent across is that women are easily accessible. You can dump one and take another whenever you wish without any difficulty.
 
I, therefore, believe that our society should not accept, uphold or justify acts that imply degradation of women’s dignity. Rather we need men in our society who respect and support WOMEN. We need women who respect themselves and can show men that they are not easily accessible.

The writer is currently studying for the bar exam in London. Her interests include arts and travelling.

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