New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (M) has called on the Union Government to enact specific legislation to address the growing incidents of Islamophobia in the country. The organization emphasized that national progress is hindered by religious hatred and condemned the increasing attacks against the Muslim community.
During its two-day Governing Council meeting held at its headquarters on July 4-5, Jamiat deliberated on various issues including the rise of hate campaigns and Islamophobia in India, the ongoing genocide by the Israeli government in Palestine, and other critical concerns.
Presiding over the meeting, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (M) president Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani strongly condemned the Uttar Pradesh government’s directive to transfer students from unregistered madrassas to mainstream schools. He also criticized the Indian government’s role in the ongoing Israeli aggression in occupied Gaza and the West Bank.
Addressing the Governing Council meeting on the second day, Maulana Madani asserted that madrasas are constitutionally exempt from mainstream educational laws, particularly the Right to Education Act, 2009. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary instructed district magistrates to transfer children from 4,204 unregistered madrasas to mainstream educational institutions.
Maulana Madani reiterated that madrasas’ exemption from government educational regulations is constitutionally guaranteed, a right Muslims are unwilling to relinquish.
He also emphasized the need for religious scholars (ulema) to adapt to contemporary challenges, warning that without understanding modern issues, they would struggle to safeguard young minds. He called for strengthening and empowering the scholarly community to ensure the community’s resilience.
Maulana Madani criticized India’s recent arms supply to Israel amidst the conflict in Palestine, invoking Gandhi’s legacy of advocating for Palestinian rights and characterizing the arms supply as a betrayal of India’s values and a grave injustice.
The Governing Council passed a resolution on the ‘Necessary Measures for Protection and Safeguard of Islamic Madrasas.’ It demanded immediate government action to stop slanderous campaigns against madrasas and their Islamic scholars, expressing concern over recent adverse actions and false statements by certain BJP chief ministers and the NCPCR chief.
The meeting urged madrasas to focus on internal reform and implement suggestions made by the ‘Standing Committee for the Protection of Madrasas.’ It also condemned attempts by the Union and state governments to impose religiously antagonistic practices on students, saffronize the educational system, and enforce a uniform civil code.
The resolution emphasized that every citizen is free to uphold their religious practices and beliefs under the constitution. It criticized government mandates for schoolchildren to perform Surya Namaskar, Saraswati Puja, Hindu songs, ashlokas, or wear tilak, calling such mandates an infringement on religious freedom and a violation of the constitution. The resolution urged Muslims to instill a strong belief in Tawheed in their children and use legal defenses to protect their rights.
On the uniform civil code, Jamiat stated that it is part of a larger plot to restrict religious freedom and fundamental rights, noting that it is unacceptable to various social groups, including Muslims. The Uttarakhand government’s arbitrary use of the Uniform Civil Code was deemed unfair. Jamiat urged the Union Government to consider the Law Commission of India’s recommendations based on public feedback before moving forward with any proposal for a uniform civil code.
Regarding Muslim reservations, the resolution clarified that Article 16(4) of the Constitution mandates reservations for underrepresented and marginalized groups. It called on state governments to introduce special reservations for Muslims to reduce social and economic inequalities and reiterated the demand to remove the religious bar from Article 341, which prohibits Muslims and Christians from benefiting under SC reservation.
The meeting condemned the dishonest actions against Waqf properties by communal forces and the ruling party, asserting that Waqf holdings were donated to help the underprivileged and meet religious and societal needs. It warned that any attempt to repeal the Waqf Act would jeopardize the rights of the Muslim minority and the country’s well-being.
In a resolution on the Assam Land Policy, Jamiat declared it unconstitutional to force linguistic and religious minorities to evacuate their land under the 2019 Assam Land Policy. It called on the Union and state governments to protect the equality of the Assamese people and ensure minorities, particularly Muslims, are not denied their rightful land.
On the NRC, the meeting expressed concern over its non-implementation despite being finalized. It urged the government to issue a mandatory notification for the publication of the NRC to resolve this prolonged issue.
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