印度最高院判穆斯林三遍塔拉克式離婚違憲

India’s supreme court has banned the controversial Muslim practice of instant divorce in a ruling that furthers women’s rights but which some fear will inflame tensions between Muslims and the country’s Hindu majority.

印度最高法院的一項裁決禁止了穆斯林一種有爭議的做法，即男子說三遍“塔拉克”(talaq，休妻的意思)就可立即離婚。這一裁決增進了婦女權益，但一些人擔心它將讓穆斯林與在印度占多數(shù)的印度教徒之間的關系更為緊張。

Judges ruled on Tuesday that “instant triple talaq” — which allows Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying “talaq, talaq, talaq” — was illegal under the Indian constitution. Hindu men do not have the same rights and must prove in court that their wives have wronged them to be granted a divorce.

印度最高法院法官周二裁定，穆斯林男子說三遍“塔拉克”就可立即休妻的做法違反印度憲法。男性印度教徒并不享有這種權利，他們必須在法庭上證明他們的妻子對不起他們才能獲準離婚。

The issue has divided Indians and even attracted the attention of Narendra Modi, the country’s Hindu nationalist prime minister, who last week argued that a ban would be a “significant step towards women’s empowerment”.

這個問題在印度人中引發(fā)了分歧，甚至引起了印度總理、印度教民族主義者納倫德拉•莫迪(Narendra Modi)的關注。上周莫迪提出，禁止穆斯林這一做法將是“邁向女性賦權的重大一步”。

It has also got to the heart of India’s identity as an independent country, whose secularist foundations are limited by extensive protections for minorities to practice “personal law”.

這個問題也觸及獨立后印度國家認同的核心——世俗化是印度的建國基礎，而少數(shù)群體在踐行“屬人法”方面享有的大量保護制約了這一基礎。

The practice of instant divorce is already banned in more than 20 Muslim-majority countries, including India’s neighbour Pakistan.

已經(jīng)有20多個人口以穆斯林為主的國家禁止了這種“立即休妻”的做法，其中包括印度的鄰國巴基斯坦。

The five-member panel of supreme court judges was as split as the rest of the country, with two arguing that the right to divorce by triple talaq counted as part of Muslims’ right to practice their religion.

由五名最高法院法官組成的小組與其他印度人一樣意見不統(tǒng)一，其中兩名法官主張，說三遍“塔拉克”即可休妻的權利，構成穆斯林踐行宗教信仰的權利的一部分。

The other three members disagreed. Kurian Joseph, one of the judges, said: “It is extremely difficult to agree . . . that triple talaq is integral to practice of Islam.” The court said the ban will stay in place to allow time for the government to legislate, and if the government does not do so, the ban will be extended.

另外三名法官不這樣認為。其中一名法官庫里安•約瑟夫(Kurian Joseph)表示：“很難認同……說三次“塔拉克”即可休妻是伊斯蘭宗教實踐的必要組成部分。”印度最高法院表示，禁令將在一段時間內(nèi)有效，以留出時間給政府制定相關法律，如果政府不制定相關法律，禁令有效期將會延長。

Muslim women’s right groups who brought the case welcomed the ruling. Shayara Bano, one of the petitioners and the first woman to challenge instant triple talaq in an Indian court, said: “I welcome the verdict and support it. This is a historic day for Muslim women.”

提起這次訴訟的穆斯林女性權利組織對這個裁決表示歡迎。其中一名上訴人、首位在印度法庭上質(zhì)疑說三次“塔拉克”即可休妻做法的沙亞拉•巴諾(Shayara Bano)說：“我歡迎并支持這個裁決。這對穆斯林女性是有歷史意義的一天。”

Others argued that a ban would bolster secularism at a time when the ruling Bharatiya Janata party was looking to inject more Hindu orthodoxy into the country’s laws and public life.

其他人認為，在執(zhí)政的印度人民黨(Bharatiya Janata party)尋求向印度的法律和公共生活注入更多印度教正統(tǒng)色彩之際，這樣一條禁令將為世俗主義提供支撐。

Pratap Bhanu Mehta, the president of the Centre for Policy Research, wrote before the judgment: “The triple talaq hearing is an opportunity for the supreme court to finally remove some jurisprudential cobwebs that have enveloped constitutional secularism in India. The court has a wonderful opportunity to undo this constitutional nonsense.”

印度智庫“政策研究中心”(Centre for Policy Research)的總裁普拉塔普•巴努•梅赫塔(Pratap Bhanu Mehta)在印度最高院作出裁決前寫道：“對最高法院而言，審理說三遍“塔拉克”即可休妻一案，是清除長期拖累印度憲法世俗主義的一些法理沉疴的機會。最高法院有一個絕佳的機會來糾正這一憲法中的荒唐之處。”

Others worry that the ruling will generate further tension between India’s Hindu majority and sizeable Muslim minority.

另一些人擔憂，該裁決會讓印度教徒與穆斯林之間的關系更為緊張。印度教徒占印度人口多數(shù)，作為少數(shù)群體的穆斯林的人數(shù)也很可觀。

Already many Muslims feel under pressure from Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist supporters, with religious attacks on the rise, and some argue that they have been unfairly singled out by the triple talaq case.

已經(jīng)有很多穆斯林感受到來自莫迪的印度教民族主義支持者的壓力，宗教襲擊抬頭，一些人認為，說三遍“塔拉克”即可休妻一案有意針對他們，是不公平的。

The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board had argued that a ban would undermine Muslims’ constitutional right to practice “personal law”. The organisation said on Tuesday it would study the judgment, but added: “What will happen to those Muslim women who even after judgment will accept talaq?”

全印穆斯林屬人法委員會(All-India Muslim Personal Law Board)主張，該禁令將削弱穆斯林踐行“屬人法”的憲法權利。周二該組織表示將研究這一判決，但它補充道：“那些在判決后依然接受‘塔拉克’式離婚做法的穆斯林女性會怎樣?”

Kirti Singh, a lawyer who wrote a book on the economic status of women in India after separation or divorce, said: “I welcome this ruling, it upholds the constitutional clause which says that every woman should have equal rights.”

律師基爾提•辛格(Kirti Singh)著有一本探討分居或離婚后印度女性經(jīng)濟地位的著作，他表示：“我歡迎這一裁決，它維護了‘每位女性都享有同等權利’的憲法條款。”

But she criticised Mr Modi’s party for championing this cause and not the rights of Hindu women. “The [ruling] Bharatiya Janata party does not really care about women’s rights.

但她批評莫迪所在的印度人民黨支持這項事業(yè)，卻不支持印度教女性的權利。“(執(zhí)政的)印度人民黨并不真正關心女性的權利。

“If they did, they might do something to tackle ‘honour killings’ of Hindu women in mixed relationships, or the fact that Hindu women are treated as secondary citizens.”

“如果他們真的關心，他們可能會采取一些行動來制止印度教女性遭‘榮譽謀殺’，或者讓印度教女性不再被視為二等公民。”