Muslim delegation opposes Waqf amendment bill in meeting with JPC

A delegation of Muslim intellectuals, scholars and representatives of several organisations strongly objected to the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, during a meeting with the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) set up to examine it. They claimed that the bill is unconstitutional and goes against the interests of the Muslim community.
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The JPC is in Mumbai to hold informal discussions with various stakeholders in an effort to refine the bill, which seeks to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, and proposes sweeping changes to how waqfs are governed and regulated. A waqf is a Muslim religious endowment, usually in the form of a property made for purposes of charity and community welfare.
The delegation’s strong objections led to an argument with the head of the JPC, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Jagdambika Pal, who was visibly unhappy about the fierce opposition to the bill. There was also a verbal spat between another JPC member, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, and representatives of the Gulshan Foundation, who supported the bill.
Members of the Muslim community told the JPC that the entire community was against the amendment and asked for it to be retracted. They claimed to have data showing that around 60 million Muslims have rejected the bill. “When we said this, the JPC chief immediately said you must have started a campaign. We asked why we wouldn’t do it, as it is directly related to our community. He was rude and appeared to have a preconceived notion about the waqf land and the community,” said a member of the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims, who was present for the meeting.
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The delegation also raised concerns about misleading claims being spread on social media, such as waqf boards having the biggest land bank after the Railways and defence and the government being forced to give up land or property claimed by the waqf board. “Pal asked what can the government do about social media claims. We responded by saying it is the government’s responsibility to control misleading claims being made openly in society,” said another person who was present for the meeting.
The Muslim intellectuals told the JPC that thousands of acres of waqf land are illegally occupied, including by both central and state governments, with efforts currently underway to reclaim these lands. They also opposed the inclusion of non-Muslim members on the Waqf Board and the removal of the requirement for a Muslim chief executive officer.
The delegation expressed concerns that the amendment aims to facilitate the occupation of waqf lands, a notion that the Muslim community finds entirely unacceptable. They emphasised that Waqf lands are private properties dedicated to god for charitable and welfare purposes.
The delegation expressed hope that the JPC would communicate the Muslim community’s sentiments regarding the bill to the government and recommend its rejection. They cautioned that if the bill is passed without proper consideration, the Muslim community would be compelled to resist it through constitutional means.
In August, the BJP-led central government introduced a bill that sought to bring sweeping changes to the powers of state waqf boards, conduct a survey of waqf properties, and remove encroachments by amending the Waqf Act. The tabling of the bill was met with strong criticism from opposition parties, who said it was “unconstitutional” and “divisive”.
The government then set up a 21-member joint parliamentary committee to examine the bill. The JPC has to submit its report when Parliament convenes for its winter session. The committee is visiting several cities across the country to seek the opinion of people from the Muslim community about the bill.
Apart from Pal, other members of the JPC present for the Mumbai meeting were Maulana Mohibullah Nadwi, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nishikant Dubey, Arvind Sawant, Suresh Gopinath, Kalyan Banerjee, and Suresh Mhatre, among others. They met with scholars and representatives of several Muslim organisations, such as Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, general secretary of the All India Ulema Council; Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi, president of the Maharashtra Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; Dr Zahir Kazi, president of Anjuman Islam; Fareed Sheikh, president of the Mumbai Aman Committee, and Maulana Faheem Falahi, secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami Maharashtra Waqf Cell.