Top Article: Tied Up In Knots  Tahir Mahmood, Aug 12, 2009,
12.00am IST  "Islam, which is a pious, progressive and respected
religion with a rational outlook cannot be given a narrow
concept as has been tried to be done by the alleged violators of
law. The progressive outlook and wider approach of Islamic law
cannot be permitted to be squeezed and narrowed by unscrupulous
litigants." This was the Supreme Court of India, in its Lily
Thomas ruling in 2000, reaffirming its five-year-old Sarla
Mudgal judgement outlawing bigamy by married non-Muslims under
the pretext of conversion to Islam. I see the law so settled by
the apex court of India as a great tribute to Islamic law.  The
Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 enforced monogamy, and deemed that a
bigamous marriage would attract anti-bigamy provisions of the
Indian Penal Code. Since then married men governed by this Act
have often resorted to sham conversion to Islam for the sake of
a second bigamous marriage. Two such cases made headlines in
recent times. In one of