India: Shia cleric advocates family planning

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Aviva
The Shia leader Maulana Kalbe Sadiq has advocated for family planning, and expressed dimay that people link it with religion.
"Family planning has nothing to do with religion directly or indirectly, but it is definitely associated with the health of a woman who gives birth to a child.
It also has an impact on the life of the father," he said in his address on the second day of the seminar on empowerment of women in Islam, organised by global peace mission. He went on to say that a healthy mother will be able to nurture her child better and too many children mean a compromise with the proper upbringing.

He justified his point on the basis that Islam advocates rationality. He also advocated higher studies for girl children and said that there are no restrictions on the education of a girl child in Islam. Quoting an example of Iran, he said that women have immense potential to perform well in social activities.

"Recently 300 judges were appointed in Iran and 89 of them were women. The fact is encouraging. When women in Iran can do it, our daughters are no less," he said.

Source: Times of India reported in Push Journal, 5.12.05.