From UCC to bulldozers: AIMPLB to launch nationwide campaign to politically ‘marginalize’ Muslims | Today’s news

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will soon release a comprehensive document on the “deteriorating condition” of Muslims in the country. The apex body of Muslim clerics would also launch a nationwide movement against the social and political marginalization of the community.

The board made the announcement on Monday, a day after a meeting of its executive committee.

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Briefing journalists about the decisions and proceedings at the meeting, AIMPLB spokesperson SQR Ilyas said that the council had reviewed in detail the current situation facing the country and the Muslim community and had taken a number of important decisions.

“These decisions particularly relate to increasing incidents of mob violence or lynching against Muslims in BJP-ruled states; demolition drives targeting Muslim houses and localities, against mosques and madrasas; bulldozer terrorism; attempts to make Vande Mataram compulsory in government functions and schools; implementation of uniform government codes supported by the high court in various madrasas of Madras; the recent Kamal Maula mosque verdict,” Ilyas said.

The executive committee expressed serious concern over the “rapidly deteriorating situation in the BJP-ruled states, the country and the Muslim community”, he said.

The committee said that Muslims’ lives, property, honor and dignity, mosques, madrassas, cemeteries, personal law, fundamental rights and even their faith and beliefs are under constant attack.

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“We are unhappy with all the parties, including the Congress. None of them are strongly raising the issues of Muslims,” ​​Ilyas said when asked about Rahul Gandhi’s reported remarks that if an issue concerns Muslims, the community must be specifically mentioned and not a generalized reference to minorities.

“Deteriorating state of the Muslim community”

The executive committee decided that a comprehensive document on the “deteriorating condition of the Muslim community, communal tensions and violation of fundamental rights will be prepared and published to awaken the conscience of the people,” he said.

“Regarding the Kamal Maula Masjid case, the executive committee has expressed deep concern over the Madhya Pradesh High Court judgment saying there are historical evidences, revenue records and official documents from the colonial era. The judgment is against the centuries-old Muslim tradition of worshiping at the site. Moreover, it is also against the spirit of the Places of Worship Act, 1991,” Ilyas said.

The Executive Committee welcomed the Kamal Maula Mosque Committee challenging the judgment in the Supreme Court and decided that the AIMPLB would provide all possible assistance to the Mosque Committee in their legal battle, he said.

The Executive Committee has declared that attempts to make Vande Mataram compulsory are against Article 25 of the Constitution of India, Ilyas said.

The board welcomed the Calcutta High Court’s interim order upholding the government’s directive requiring the singing of Vande Mataram in madrasas, he said.

The executive committee also expressed serious concern over the ongoing legislative efforts in BJP-ruled states in the name of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Ilyas said.

The meeting noted that after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, preparations are now underway to introduce UCC in Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as well.

“The UCC is not a mandatory constitutional command”

The Council clarified that the Uniform Civil Code is not a mandatory constitutional command that courts are required to enforce; it is rather a non-binding guiding principle included among the Directive Principles of State Policy.

The Executive Committee further resolved that against social and political marginalization of Muslims, violation of constitutional norms, promotion of hatred and enmity, damage to social harmony, attacks on life, property, honor and dignity of Muslims and demolition of mosques and madrassas, the board will launch a nationwide movement in partnership with justice and peace-loving, democracy-loving sections of the society.

An Action Committee is being formed for this purpose, he said, adding that the movement can start by the end of July.

AIMPLB president Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani chaired the executive committee meeting on Sunday and general secretary Maulana Fazlur Rahim Muiaddidi presided over the meeting.

These decisions are particularly related to increasing incidents of mob violence or lynching against Muslims in BJP-ruled states.

The meeting was attended by members of the executive committee from all over the country.