Progressive Muslim groups oppose AIMPLB’s ‘Save India, Save Sharia’ campaign and call for gender-just reforms

A group of progressive Muslim activists, women’s rights advocates and intellectuals on Tuesday (Sept 22, 2026) opposed the India-wide Muslim personal rights campaign “Save India, Save Sharia”, arguing that it upholds patriarchal personal laws, condemns gender equality and risks deepening political polarisation.

In a joint statement issued on September 22, the signatories said the campaign could reinforce narratives portraying Muslims in opposition to constitutional rights while diverting attention from what they described as the need to reform Muslim personal law and ensure equal rights for women.

Among the 92 signatories named in the statement are actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak and Amol Palekar, activist Tushar Gandhi, dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai, Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali, activist Teesta Setalvad and academician and activist Ram Puniyani.

One of their main objections is that the AIMPLB campaign, they believe, could provide political ammunition to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar by allowing them to pose as defenders of constitutional principles while suggesting that Muslims seek a separate legal framework.

The signatories also challenged the AIMPLB’s defense of Muslim personal law, arguing that existing provisions and practices reflected male and patriarchal interpretations rather than an immutable religious code.

They cited the AIMPLB’s affidavit before the Supreme Court in the Shayara Bano triple talaq case and criticized the arguments it made regarding the different divorce rights for men and women.

The statement further argued that the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom under Articles 25 to 30 must be read together with Articles 14 and 15, which guarantee equality before the law and prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and religion.

Citing reforms carried out in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Morocco, the signatories called for the codification and reform of Muslim personal law in India.

They sought equal rights for Muslim women on issues such as the minimum age for marriage, polygamy, divorce, inheritance, child custody and adoption, and also called for an end to practices such as female genital mutilation and halala.

The statement also criticized the BJP and Hindutva organizations for what the signatories called selective promotion of Muslim women’s rights in the Uniform Civil Code debate, accusing them of pursuing policies and political campaigns that harm Muslims.

The signatories also said the AIMPLB’s focus on “saving Sharia” ignored more immediate concerns facing sections of the Muslim community, including socio-economic marginalization, security, education and employment.

They called on civil society organizations and political parties to support what they described as a “gender-just, religion-neutral” Uniform Civil Code rooted in equality and human rights, while opposing its use for political or communal polarization.

The statement was initiated by Javed Anand and Feroze Mithiborwala of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), Zakia Soman and Noorjahan Safia Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), Shamsuddin Tamboli of Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal and Bader Sayeed of Roshni.

Published – 23 Sep 2026 04:20 IST