Muslim body in India seeks end to dowries, lavish weddings

AIMPLB issues 11-point guideline asking the community to hold simple weddings following suicide by woman over dowry.

A prominent Muslim organisation in India has released new guidelines, asking the community to shun dowries and extravagant marriages after a woman recently died by suicide due to “dowry harassment”. In an 11-point guideline issued last week, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) asked the Muslims to take an “oath” to refrain from demanding dowry and keep the marriage ceremony simple without “needless rituals, customs and extravagant activities”. The AIMPLB is widely regarded as the representative of Indian Muslims, who constitute more than 14 percent of India’s 1.3 billion population.