Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 29: The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, the mega Muslim gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoband, has passed a resolution strongly opposing the Uniform Civil Code, days after the Uttarakhand government formed a panel to implement the ‘one India, one personal law’ code.
On the second day of the mega meet, the JuH said the Muslim bodies have passed a resolution against the proposed Uniform Civil Code, saying that implementation of Uniform Civil Code would prevent observance of personal law and, thus, is against the Indian Constitution.
“This ignores the true spirit of the Constitution,” the resolution said. “No Muslim accepts interference in Islamic law. If any government makes the mistake of implementing UCC, Muslims will not accept this injustice and will be forced to take all measures against it while staying within constitutional limits,” said Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s media in-charge Maulana Niaz Ahmed Farooqui.
During the occasion, Jamiat passed three resolutions– to take measures and stop the growing tide of hatred and animosity against Muslims in India; to eradicate Islamophobia and to strengthen the Sadbhawana Manch.
The Uniform Civil Code proposes to implement personal laws which apply to all citizens regardless of their religion and gender. If implemented, the Uniform Civil Code will be applicable to all communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption. At present, different religions have their own laws of governance, such as the Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, and the Indian Christian Marriages Act.
The Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind’s gathering of Muslim bodies in UP is to discuss issues on mosques in Gyanvapi, Mathura and monuments such as Qutub Minar. The meeting was attended by nearly 2,000 members and representatives of organizations from across the country.
Addressing the gathering, the JuH chief Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani said the government had turned a blind eye to the hardships that Muslims in the country were facing. “The country is going through a phase of turmoil but those in the government have sealed their lips which is a cause of concern for all. Muslims are facing hardships even when they walk on the streets of their towns. We will bear every torture but will not let anyone dismember our country. We can compromise on all issues but not at the cost of the country,” Madani said.
He added that no one could understand the hardships being faced by the Muslim community in the present times. “Har zulm seh lenge, lekin isko hamari kamzori na samjhe. (We are ready to face any kind of hardship but this does not mean that we are weak). We at the Jamiat are torchbearers of peace and want to foster brotherhood. This is why we are ready to face any eventuality,” he said.
“We cannot extinguish fire with the fire. We have to defeat the atmosphere of hatred with love. Be calm and do not get swayed by the designs of those who want to disintegrate our country,” he advised the Muslims. He also assured that the body would protest the interests of Muslims in the country staying within the constitutional framework.
Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani of the Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary, said, “Our country is like a bouquet in which people of every religion live with peace. It is our unity that makes our country Hindustan. We are supposed to preserve these values to save our country.”
