‘If the Constitution survives, the country will survive, and if the country survives, we will survive,’ says Maulana Arshad Madani
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Coming down heavily on the Waqf Amendment Bill, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) chief Maulana Arshad Madani has said his organisation would oppose it tooth and nail.
Addressing a huge gathering of Muslims in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday Maulana Arshad Madani asked where was justice in the bill that “someone else takes care of what belongs to us.” He also explained the flaws in the bill. “The voice raised here today will clash with the corridors of power and will make it clear that Muslims cannot accept the Waqf Amendment Bill at any cost because this is a religious matter” for the country’s Muslims.
The chief of JUH, a premier Muslim organisation in the country, said any interference in Waqf provisions could not be tolerated.
Maulana Madani said that in the meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee, in the presence of all the members, “we stated that this bill has not just one or two, but countless flaws. Therefore, we cannot accept any bill that changes the status of Waqf and the intentions of the Waqif (Donor).”
He further said that Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is not a political party; it is a purely religious organisation. “Who is in power, who comes, who goes, who contests elections, who succeeds, who faces defeat, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has had no interest in any of this since the independence of the country. We love our country; this country is ours, and our ancestors have lived here for thousands of years. We prioritise peace, harmony, brotherhood, and living with love and affection for one another. This is because we believe that as long as the atmosphere of love and affection remains, this country will thrive and progress. But if this mutual love and affection is set ablaze, this country will be destroyed and ruined.”
He said that Muslims are loyal to their country; they want to maintain peace and order. Before or after independence, there has never been a Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind conference in Kadapa. “We had announced at the Delhi conference that five lakh people would gather at the Kadapa Conference. We are immensely pleased to see that, by Allah’s grace, you have made our statement come true. More than five lakh people are present at today’s conference; this vast ground has become too small. Your gathering in such a large number shows how deeply concerned and anxious you are about what is happening in the country at this moment. He added that our purpose was not just to gather a crowd but to show the rulers of this state what the Muslims in their region wanted.”
Maulana Madani said that the government at the Centre, which is bringing the Waqf Amendment Bill and now raising the slogan of a Uniform Civil Code, is not standing on its own feet but on crutches. “One crutch has been provided by (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar, and the other by (Andhra Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu. Through this historic gathering today, we want to make both these parties aware that the greatest threat to the country at this time is to its secular constitution. Therefore, it is our collective responsibility to protect it, because if the constitution survives, the country will survive, and if the country survives, we all will survive.”
On the completion of 75 years of the Constitution’s enforcement, he said there was a debate on it in both houses of Parliament. “Apparently, this seems like a good sign, but the fundamental question is whether the directive principles of the Constitution are being followed honestly. Certainly not. The tragedy is that while the Constitution is being praised and oaths are taken in its name, those who praise it do not implement it in their actions and conduct. As a result, we witness the unfortunate sight of the Constitution being violated regularly,” he said adding that “if the principles of the Constitution were being followed, we would not have the need to hold a “Save Constitution Conference” today.
“The secular Constitution of the country is the result of the efforts of the ancestors of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, who made sacrifices at every step to free the country from the curse of slavery. Therefore, today, when the Constitution is being trampled and disgraced, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has become active in the field to protect it,” he said.
Amidst resounding slogans, Maulana Madani said: “We are alive in this country, we will stay here, and we will be buried in this soil. Our religion is not one that will be erased. History is a witness that those who declared the destruction of Islam were themselves wiped out, while Islam remained alive and will remain alive until the Day of Judgment.”
A draft containing five lakh signatures was also presented to Maulana Madani on behalf of the Jamiat Ulama of Andhra Pradesh. This draft will soon be presented to Chief Minister Naidu.
Speaking on the occasion, the President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, highlighted the role of Muslims in the framing of the secular constitution of India.
