The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has opposed the proposed Uniform Civil Code, arguing that it would be “against the spirit of the Constitution”. In an official statement after a meeting of its executive committee on Sunday, the AIMPLB said, “Implementing the Uniform Civil Code will deprive citizens of the privileges provided to them by personal laws.”
The move towards a UCC “is neither relevant nor beneficial for a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country like India,” said one of the committee’s members, who did not want to be named. The committee urged the government to shelve the proposed move. “If, taking advantage of its majority in Parliament, the government passes, and puts into effect the Uniform Civil Code, it will affect the unity and harmony that bind the nation. It will hinder the country’s progress and will not bear any fruit either. The Board appeals to the government not to pursue this agenda,” the committee member said.
Without directly referring to the ongoing disputes surrounding the Mathura and Kasi mosques, the Board also urged the government to ensure the implementation of the Places of Worship Act, 1991. “The Places of Worship Act was established by the Government of India after being duly passed by the Parliament. It is the duty of the Government of India to ensure its proper implementation. It is in the national interest. Otherwise, it could lead to endless differences among various religious groups. The government must not surrender to the separatist powers and should responsibly safeguard the legal interests of all,” the Board’s general secretary Khalid Saifullah Rahmani stated.
Deadlocked dialogue
The Board’s remarks on the Places of Worship Act come on the heels of a meeting between leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh deputed by its chief Mohan Bhagwat and representatives of the Muslim bodies Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. The two Muslim bodies reportedly turned down a proposal to surrender the mosques in Kasi and Mathura, preferring a judicial course of action instead. They had also asked the RSS leaders if they could give any assurance that no similar demands would be made of other mosques in the future, but the RSS leaders reportedly said they could not do so. The AIMPLB executive committee’s focus on the Places of Worship Act stems from that deadlock of the inter-community dialogue.
The AIMPLB executive committee meeting was attended by bigwigs from the Muslim bodies, including Jamiat president Arshad Madani, Mahmood Madani, Jamaat’s senior leaders Maulana Rabey Hassan Nadwi and S.Q.R. Ilyas, and other leaders including Kamal Farooqui and Sajjad Nomani.
