The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Monday announced a nationwide “people’s movement” to protect the Constitution and Sharia, with plans to hold public meetings and protest programmes in major cities across India.
The organisation said the campaign, called the “Movement for the Protection of the Constitution and Sharia”, would focus on defending constitutional rights, democracy, the rule of law, religious freedom and human dignity.
AIMPLB to Prepare White Paper on Alleged Discrimination
As part of the campaign, the AIMPLB said it would prepare and circulate a comprehensive white paper documenting what it described as incidents of discrimination against Muslims, violations of constitutional rights and human rights abuses.
The document will be shared with the media, human rights organisations, intellectuals, elected representatives and other relevant institutions, the Board said.
According to the AIMPLB, public meetings will be organised in major cities and prominent scholars, religious leaders from different faiths, intellectuals and social and political figures will be invited to address them. A protest programme will also be held in New Delhi.
Board Says Movement Is for All Citizens
The AIMPLB said the campaign should not be viewed as a movement limited to Muslims or any particular community.
“It is not a movement of any particular community or section but a shared national struggle to safeguard the Constitution of India, the supremacy of democracy, the rule of law, religious freedom, human dignity, national unity, peace and fraternity,” the Board said.
The organisation appealed to citizens and civil society groups to join the campaign.
“We firmly believe that justice, love, dialogue, mutual respect and constitutional struggle are the true guarantees of India’s peaceful future,” AIMPLB members said at a press conference.
“With this conviction, we invite every justice-loving, democratic and peace-loving citizen of the country, every social and religious organisation, and every responsible member of civil society to join this movement,” they added.
AIMPLB Lists Concerns Over Muslims’ Rights
The Board alleged that Muslims and other vulnerable groups have faced increasing pressure and discriminatory treatment in recent years.
It cited incidents of mob violence, what it called “extra-legal bulldozer demolitions”, alleged targeting of mosques, madrasas and shrines, illegal occupation of Waqf properties and graveyards, and arrests of Muslim youth in what it described as baseless cases.
The AIMPLB also raised concerns over what it called interference with religious freedom and attempts to undermine Muslim Personal Law through the Uniform Civil Code.
The Board further objected to what it described as attempts to interfere with minority beliefs through measures such as making the singing of Vande Mataram compulsory.
“Mob violence, extra-legal bulldozer demolitions, targeting of mosques, madrasas and shrines, illegal occupation of Waqf properties and graveyards, arbitrary arrests of Muslim youth under baseless cases, interference with religious freedom, attempts to undermine Muslim Personal Law through the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and attempts to undermine the beliefs of minorities by making the singing of Vande Mataram compulsory, have deepened a sense of insecurity among a large section of the population,” the Board said.
The AIMPLB said the proposed nationwide campaign would seek to raise awareness about these issues while promoting constitutional and democratic means of addressing them.
