Soon after a Muzaffarnagar district court in Uttar Pradesh convicted and sentenced the father-in-law of Imrana for raping her, clerics say her husband should leave her.

This is another example of the clergy imposing their desire to maintain the disparity between the sexes — male dominance and female subservience. Ignoring the teachings of Koran, they are further complicating the lives of the victim and her kin.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has also remained silent over the clerics’ reaction and the court verdict. AIMPLB’s silence was much stonier when a fatwa was issued by leading Islamic seminary Darul-uloom Deoband, annulling Imrana’s marriage and asking her to marry the rapist last year when the case was reported.

Supporting these clerics are the politicians. Fearing they may lose votes, leading political parties in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress have not said a word against the Deoband clerics’ decision against Imrana.

On June 6, 2005, 28-year-old Imarana was raped by her 69-year-old father in-law Ali Mohammad. Since then the case has raked up heated issues like uniform civil code, the role of panchayats and Shariat in India.

Despite a ten-year jail term for the rapist, Imrana, the mother of five, is now a terrified woman. She says her priorities are her children and she will abide by law and religion.