The Council for Fatwa and Research, under Darul Huda Islamic University in Malappuram, has asked Muslims to resist advocate and actor C Shukkur and former MG University pro-Vice Chancellor (PVC) Dr Sheena Shukkur’s decision to register their marriage again under the Special Marriage Act, to ensure inheritance to their daughters. “According to the law of inheritance in Islam, if the deceased father has only daughters, then two-thirds of the property should be divided between the father's sisters and brothers. Shukkur is forced to remarry because of his narrow-minded thinking that his siblings should not get any part of his property,” the statement said.
Shukkur and Sheena, who married in 1994 under Islamic law, registered their marriage again on March 8, 2023 under the Special Marriage Act. This decision sparked a debate in Kerala over gender discrimination. As per The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, while a son can inherit all the property of his parents, if a couple has a daughter, she can only take half the share. If a couple has more than one daughter, they get two-thirds of the inheritance, and the rest of the property goes to the father’s siblings. Shukkur and Sheena have three daughters.
The Council for Fatwa and Research, however, believes that the true ownership of wealth belongs to Allah, and has termed the couple’s decision as an insult to Islam. “A person’s earning and its use should be done only according to the conditions that Allah determines. Those who believe in the Creator and accept the perfection of his laws will not have any confusion about this. Believers will not be fooled by such drama by those who use religion only for their own selfishness,” the council’s declaration said.
Reacting to the council’s statement, Shukkur said that any violence caused due to their declaration that urges people to resist the couple’s move, will be the responsibility of the organisation. Ever since Shukkur announced the decision to remarry his wife, he has been subject to severe harassment online from various quarters.
“Why so much show off? What are you getting from the Union government?” one social media user asked. Another comment said, “You are a selfish person who doesn’t want to share their assets with their siblings. You are very cunning to do these things to please certain people who are in power.”
Yet another comment said: “A lawyer who does not value relationships. A lawyer who hesitates to distribute property to his children while he is still alive. He is cheating people.” There are many more such comments under Shukkur’s Facebook posts.
Political analyst and advocate Jayasankar has also raised objections to the couple’s decision. “The objective of celebrating the 'second knot' with Facebook posts, newspaper articles and TV debates is clear: Muslim personal law should be rediscussed, paving the way for a uniform civil code,” he said in a Facebook post. “They were Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) sympathisers until recently, and they received enlightenment recently. They became Marxists and decided to correct the Islamic Sharia,” he added.
On the other hand, many prominent persons have also voiced their support for Shukkur. “Today the step he has taken is an eye opener to every liberal Muslim in this country. I couldn’t be there with him for his “second marriage” but I’m there with him in spirit and the courageous stand he has taken. All the best to you and your “newly wedded wife” and the family that comes along with it… Send us the honeymoon pictures,” Academy Award winning sound designer Resul Pookutty said.
Countering all the criticism against him, Shukkur had earlier told TNM that he did not have any intentions to challenge religion. “Article 14 of the Indian Constitution provides equality. There should be no discrimination based on gender. My daughters are denied the rights and privileges that are enjoyed by sons of my siblings or women of other communities. This inequality happens because they follow Islam or because they are the children of parents who follow Islam. This creates a negative impact on them. My children should get equal rights. The issue of inheritance of assets is secondary,” he said.