A powerful community leader said, “In this entire episode, no one is victorious; but some credit should go to Shoaib Malik for not revealing the photograph of that unknown Hyderabadi Muslim girl, which was, allegedly, shown to him by Ayesha Siddiqui.”
Shoaib had said that when the ‘telephonic romance’ began some eight years ago between him and ’some Hyderabadi girl,’ he was shown a photograph. He fell in love with ‘that photograph’ which he thought was of Siddiqui.
For many years he was under the impression that he was talking to ‘amazingly beautiful Hyderabadi girl’ shown in the photograph and he got engaged in ‘telephonic nikah (word for Muslim Wedding),’ only to the ‘pretty woman’ shown in that photograph.
The Hyderabad-based political leader told that, “I have seen the girl and she is unbelievably beautiful. She is now happily married and doesn’t want to come into the limelight. Don’t ask me more questions about her. Leave her alone.”
All over India and Pakistan, Sania-Shoaib-Ayesha’s ‘love triangle’ has thrown up many questions and lots of confusion and controversies.
Since Sania Mirza is an icon in India, her every step is being discussed in every household across the country. A senior editor of an Urdu daily says, ” Frankly speaking, when Sania announced in front TV cameras that she is going to marry Shoaib, most of us felt upset because we thought why could she not find a suitable boy among Indian Muslims? But, when Shoaib’s telephonic nikaah came into the focus of the media and reporters started raking muck on our personal laws, we got even more upset.” In this story all three characters have not come out clean. We are upset that Sania, who is an icon of our country, could not set an example. Whatever she does or says has an impact on our youth. India has invested lots of emotions in her. Now, she says she will settle in Dubai. How can you be like that? When Shoaib will play a match, will she support India or Shoaib? You may say it’s her personal choice, but why drag Islam and other issues in her public affairs?”
If Shoaib wanted an out-of-court settlement of his earlier marriage, as he has supposed to have done now, then why did he not do it before announcing his intention to marry Sania? Why show the institution of Islamic nikaah and our procedures in bad light?
Kamal Farooqui, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which oversees the implementation of Islamic Sharia laws in the country including marriage and social lives of Muslims, says, “He is against the idea of telephonic marriage because it’s necessary to see your life partner and understand him before agreeing to marry.” “We don’t understand why should Ayesha protest now? Why did she keep quiet for all these years? Among Hyderabad’s conservative Muslim families, Shoaib’s current stay in Sania’s house is nothing less than ‘a scandal.’
“We are being asked many questions. Why these two Hyderabadi families have allowed the media to run a reality show on television? They should not have washed their dirty linen in public.” Muslim community leaders say that they are feeling relieved that ‘the episode is finally over because unnecessarily, Indian Islamic practices were coming under attack because of this ugly episode.’