A meeting of the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims discussed concerns, including hate crimes, hate speech, and the state’s anti-conversion law
MUMBAI — The Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM) has announced the formation of a task force to provide immediate support to hate crime victims and strengthen legal and community responses to the issues affecting the Muslim community.
The announcement was made at a consultative meeting of the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims last week (June 8).
The meeting was attended by prominent Muslim MLAs, former judges, lawyers, social activists and religious scholars. It discussed concerns including hate crimes, hate speech, the state’s anti-conversion law and the proposed implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.
Among those who attended the meeting were former Bombay High Court judge Abhay Thipsay, MLAs Amin Patel, Sajid Pathan, Haroon Khan, Abu Asim Azmi, Sana Malik and Rais Shaikh, as well as former Rajya Sabha member Obaidullah Khan Azmi.
Discussing the proposed task force, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’s Maharashtra unit president, Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi, said the task force would focus on providing immediate support to victims of hate crimes.
The discussions focused on the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion (Anti-Conversion) Act, the proposed Uniform Civil Code, hate crimes, hate speech, minority rights and the need to uphold constitutional and democratic values. The participants also explored strategies to strengthen community awareness, legal support mechanisms and collective action, with one of the key resolutions calling for the withdrawal of the anti-conversion law.
The federation urged the minority communities to remain vigilant and ensure that their names are included in the electoral rolls. Dolphy D’Souza, associated with the Justice and Peace Commission and the Institute for Community Research Organisation, said awareness campaigns would also be conducted as a preventive measure.
Participants also discussed the need for a coordinated response to the growing climate of communalism and administrative discrimination. They also deliberated on developing a long-term 10-year action plan to address issues faced by the community.
“The consultative meeting was not a confrontation against any government or political party. It was a sincere effort to find sustainable and practical solutions to the issues faced by Muslims,” Falahi said.
The development comes as incidents of targeting Muslims by Hindutva forces are regularly being reported in different parts of the country.
