Jamaat-e-Islami Hind says Waqf Bill paves way for legislative discrimination against Muslims

New Delhi: Muslim organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Wednesday slammed the Waqf Bill as "highly condemnable" and alleged that it paves the way for legislative discrimination against Muslims.

The assertion came as the Bill was being debated in the Lok Sabha.

JIH president Syed Sadatullah Husaini strongly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill terming it "a highly condemnable" move that paves the way for legislative discrimination against Muslims.

He pointed out that the provisions of the Waqf Act of 1995, which the bill seeks to revoke, are not exclusive to Muslims, and other religious communities also have similar rights.

The endowment laws of various religious communities include provisions that restrict their management boards to members of their respective faiths, he said.

"They also allow for 'temples by users' similar to 'Waqf by user' and grant exemptions from laws such as the Limitation Act. However, Muslims alone are being singled out and deprived of these rights, which is blatant legislative discrimination and a dangerous precedent," Husaini alleged.

"The Bill introduces sweeping changes to the Waqf Act, 1995, increasing governmental interference in managing Waqf properties and fundamentally altering their religious character," he said.

This is a direct violation of Article 26 of the Constitution, which guarantees religious minorities the right to manage their religious institutions, the Jamaat president said.

Despite widespread opposition and millions of objections from the public, the government disregarded the feedback it received from the main stakeholders of the Bill, he claimed.

It appeared as if the consultative process was just a formality and the decision to pass the Bill had been predetermined, rendering public opinion and stakeholder concerns irrelevant, Husaini said.

He strongly criticised certain media outlets for misleading the public with false narratives. Husaini emphasised that the Bill does nothing to curb corruption, illegal occupation, or misuse of Waqf properties.

The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind calls upon all secular parties, opposition leaders, and NDA allies to resist this unjust Bill, he said.

"It is disappointing that some parties, despite claiming to be secular, have chosen to support it. They must not succumb to political pressure from the BJP and participate in communal politics. If they fail to oppose this bill, history will remember their betrayal, and justice-loving citizens will hold them accountable," he said.

If this bill is passed undemocratically, protests will be expanded nationwide under the leadership of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) along with other Muslim organisations, Husaini said.

"The law would be challenged through all constitutional, legal, democratic, and peaceful means. The struggle against this injustice will continue until the rights of the community are fully restored," he said.