It was a gut-wrenching scene - when seven orphans who perished in the recent landslide at Hulu Langat were buried en-masse in one grave. Young lives full of potential taken away...teenagers who have yet to realise their dreams in life.
In the wake of the tragedy, news reports surfaced that the parents of some of these "orphans" who perished were estranged. In one case, the tragedy brought the couple together again - vowing to try to make their marriage work. In another case, a single mother found out through the tragedy that her son was given away to the orphanage after their divorce. The husband was granted custody and he gave his son to his sister to be cared for. The sister, in turn, gave the boy away to the orphanage.
While the focus now is on assistance and counselling for whose who survived, one aspect of this tragedy has been overlooked. There are obviously weaknesses in the administration of Syariah laws with regards to a father's responsibility towards his children after a divorce. No one has asked how divorced couples could so easily give away their children to orphanages to be cared for after their divorce. Why are fathers not held accountable for their children's well-being after a divorce? If a single mother is financially unable to care for her children after divorce, why is she burdened with the problem while the father gets away?
The questions above are also linked to my last post on what goes inside the mind of a Muslim polygamist (http://adrenaline-junkie-nd.blogspot.com/2011/05/inside-mind-of-muslim-polygamist.html). Obviously, when a man makes that decision to take a second, third or fourth wife, issues regarding his responsibility towards his children in the event of a divorce are furthest from his mind. Muslim men will always use the argument that Islam allows a man to have four wives - but they conveniently forget that children are Allah's gifts and it is their responsibility to provide for them when they are divorced. And the weaknesses in the administration of syariah laws allow them to get away!
May Allah bless the souls of the youngsters who perished so needlessly....Al-Fatihah!
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