The approval of the Waqf Amendment Bill by the Joint Parliament Committee and the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand has met with severe criticism from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and many others including religious organizations.
Through a joint declaration, Muslim leaders slammed the waqf bill and implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand and expressed deep remorse stating that this move is a clear violation of democratic and constitutional rights.
Vaquar Uddin Latifi, office Secretary of the AIMPLB stated, “The UCC law in Uttarakhand is undemocratic, unconstitutional and an assault on the fundamental rights of citizens. Therefore, it is absolutely unacceptable to us.”
They argued that the constitution allows citizens to freely practice their religion and Uniform Civil Code violates this right.
The AIMPLB held a meeting in Bengaluru and is set to challenge UCC in court. The board members also stated that Muslim personal law is given protection under the Shariat Application Act of 1937.
Last year in July, a coalition meeting was organised in which alongside Muslim organisations, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Dalits and tribal groups agreed that UCC violates fundamental rights and rejected its implementation.
Speaking about the Waqf Bill, the board argued that every single Muslim rejected its implementation by sending 36.6 million emails to the committee. Despite this, the board approved the bill. The board further challenged the seizure or damage of waqf properties.
“We request Muslims and other citizens of Uttarakhand to not panic and make no compromises on their religion. We will oppose this bill at every level within the democratic framework” stated the press release.
“The leaders also pointed out that all of this is a well-planned strategy by the BJP to marginalize Muslims and urged other parties to collectively reject its implementation when brought into parliament. “We regret that the NDA allied parties failed to uphold their responsibilities and supported the BJP’s communal agenda.”
They warned that if the bill isn’t withdrawn, Muslims will strongly resist by fully employing all constitutional means including coming together on the streets or facing imprisonment in order to safeguard waqf properties and personal laws.
“We demand the government to withdraw this controversial bill and restore the previous one. Otherwise, we will have no option but to come on the streets. If needed we may go to jail for this cause, we will not hesitate.” AIMPLB stated in its release.
