The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board along with All India Milli Council and other Muslim organisations have decided to step up their campaign against what they call the infringement of religious rights and practices of Muslims and opposing the moves of the Union government on the triple talaq issue and common civil code.
Qamarul Islam, member, All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, and founder member, All-India Milli Council, and the former Minister, told presspersons in Kalaburagi on Friday that the signature campaign against the move to abolish triple talaq and introduce a common civil code in the country would be completed on October 30 and the collected signatures would be sent to the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board for submission to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking his intervention to protect the rights of the minorities which were guaranteed in the constitution.
Meeting in November
Mr. Qamarul, accompanied by leaders of different Muslim organisations, said that on November 5, a divisional-level public meeting would be held in Kalaburagi to protest against the repeated attempts of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims and the attempts to dilute the guarantees made to minorities in the Constitution.
People from Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Bidar, Ballari and Vijayapura would participate in the meeting.
‘Violating freedom’
The former Minister said that many judicial orders have repeatedly upheld the fact that any kind of interference in personal laws was not only a violation of religious freedom enshrined in Article 25 of the Constitution, but also an attempt to put an end to the unique cultural identity of the minorities. “If the Union government is serious about implementing the directive principles of the Constitution, then it should first provide universal education and extend health facilities to each and every citizen and provide toilets in all households, as these needs are directly connected to the well-being of the people,” he said.
Mr. Qamarul said that it was only an illusion that bringing in a uniform civil code would help in national integration. Instead, it would only fuel disunity and disintegration, he said, warning, “The strength of our country comes only from unity in diversity.”
The intention of the Union government in filling an affidavit before the apex court on the triple talaq, polygamy, maintenance of divorcees and other issues and the Law Commission issuing a questionnaire were aimed at clearing the way for a uniform civil code.
“This is a calculated effort to disrupt communal harmony and the social fabric of the country,” Mr. Qamarul said.
‘Diverting attention‘
“When the nation is confronted with many other serious issues, the government was diverting the attention of the people by raising issues such as the common civil code and triple talaq,” he said.
