[🇮🇳] How Muslims are doing in India?

[Saif]

Date of Event: Feb 11, 2025 Source : https://www.newagebd.net/post/South%20Asia/257628/anti-muslim-hate-speech-surges-in-india

Anti-Muslim hate speech surges in India
Agence France-Presse. New Delhi, India 10 February, 2025, 20:07

Indian Muslim devotees pray at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar on January 31, 2025. | AFP Photo

Hate speech in India targeting the country's religious minorities saw a ‘staggering’ surge in 2024, a US-based think tank said Monday.

The alarming rise was ‘deeply intertwined with the ideological ambitions of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the broader Hindu nationalist movement’, the India Hate Lab (IHL) said in a report.

During India's bitterly contested national vote last year, critics and rights groups accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP of ramping up rhetoric against Muslims to unprecedented levels during his campaign in a bid to mobilise the Hindu majority.

At his rallies, he referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators’, and claimed the main opposition Congress party would redistribute the nation's wealth to Muslims if it won.

Modi won a third successive term in office in June but was forced into a coalition government after a shock election setback for his BJP left him without an outright majority for the first time in a decade.

Staggering

The BJP's Hindu nationalist rhetoric has left India's Muslim population of more than 220 million increasingly anxious about their future.

‘The number of hate speech incidents targeting religious minorities surged from 668 in 2023 to 1,165 in 2024, marking a staggering 74.4 per cent increase,’ the IHL report stated.

It added that ‘the fact that 2024 was a general election year... played a crucial role in shaping the patterns of hate speech incidents’.

It said 98.5 per cent of the hate speeches targeted Muslims, with more than two-thirds of them taking place in states controlled by the BJP or its allies, according to the report.

Threat

More than 450 hate speeches were delivered by leaders of the BJP, with Modi himself responsible for 63 of them, the report said.

The BJP did not respond to AFP's request to comment on the report ahead of its publication, but has in the past rejected such accusations as false.

‘Muslims, in particular, were portrayed as an existential threat to Hindus and the Indian nation,’ the report said.

‘The most alarming rise was in speeches advocating for the destruction of places of worship,’ the report added.

Hindu supremacists have upped the ante demanding religious sites be taken from Muslims.

That escalated after Modi inaugurated a grand temple to the deity Ram ahead of last year's vote, built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque razed by a mob backed by the BJP.

Facebook, YouTube and X were the major platforms for dissemination, according to IHL's analysis.

IHL said 266 ‘anti-minority hate speeches delivered by senior BJP leaders’ during the elections were simultaneously broadcast across YouTube, Facebook and X through the official accounts of the party and its leaders.

India Hate Lab is part of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a non-profit think tank.

Modi will be in Paris on Monday to co-host a summit on artificial intelligence alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, before heading to Washington on Wednesday to meet with US President Donald Trump.

The Indian and US leaders, both of whom critics accuse of authoritarian tendencies, enjoyed warm relations when Trump was in the White House from 2017 to 2021.​

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Anti-Muslim hate speech surges in India
Agence France-Presse. New Delhi, India 10 February, 2025, 20:07

View attachment 14271
Indian Muslim devotees pray at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar on January 31, 2025. | AFP Photo

Hate speech in India targeting the country's religious minorities saw a ‘staggering’ surge in 2024, a US-based think tank said Monday.

The alarming rise was ‘deeply intertwined with the ideological ambitions of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the broader Hindu nationalist movement’, the India Hate Lab (IHL) said in a report.

During India's bitterly contested national vote last year, critics and rights groups accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP of ramping up rhetoric against Muslims to unprecedented levels during his campaign in a bid to mobilise the Hindu majority.

At his rallies, he referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators’, and claimed the main opposition Congress party would redistribute the nation's wealth to Muslims if it won.

Modi won a third successive term in office in June but was forced into a coalition government after a shock election setback for his BJP left him without an outright majority for the first time in a decade.

Staggering

The BJP's Hindu nationalist rhetoric has left India's Muslim population of more than 220 million increasingly anxious about their future.

‘The number of hate speech incidents targeting religious minorities surged from 668 in 2023 to 1,165 in 2024, marking a staggering 74.4 per cent increase,’ the IHL report stated.

It added that ‘the fact that 2024 was a general election year... played a crucial role in shaping the patterns of hate speech incidents’.

It said 98.5 per cent of the hate speeches targeted Muslims, with more than two-thirds of them taking place in states controlled by the BJP or its allies, according to the report.

Threat

More than 450 hate speeches were delivered by leaders of the BJP, with Modi himself responsible for 63 of them, the report said.

The BJP did not respond to AFP's request to comment on the report ahead of its publication, but has in the past rejected such accusations as false.

‘Muslims, in particular, were portrayed as an existential threat to Hindus and the Indian nation,’ the report said.

‘The most alarming rise was in speeches advocating for the destruction of places of worship,’ the report added.

Hindu supremacists have upped the ante demanding religious sites be taken from Muslims.

That escalated after Modi inaugurated a grand temple to the deity Ram ahead of last year's vote, built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque razed by a mob backed by the BJP.

Facebook, YouTube and X were the major platforms for dissemination, according to IHL's analysis.

IHL said 266 ‘anti-minority hate speeches delivered by senior BJP leaders’ during the elections were simultaneously broadcast across YouTube, Facebook and X through the official accounts of the party and its leaders.

India Hate Lab is part of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a non-profit think tank.

Modi will be in Paris on Monday to co-host a summit on artificial intelligence alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, before heading to Washington on Wednesday to meet with US President Donald Trump.

The Indian and US leaders, both of whom critics accuse of authoritarian tendencies, enjoyed warm relations when Trump was in the White House from 2017 to 2021.​

450 hate speeches against Muslims by BJP leaders out of which 63 are delivered by Modi as per report. I ask everyone to report only one of those 63 speeches here.

It is true that hate for Muslims are growing in India. However, this is partly true. The complete truth is that hate for Muslims is growing across the world including India and other Muslim nations. They believe that they can openly shout slogans like "Gustakh e Rasul ki ek hi saja sar tan se juda", they may do Namaz on road, they can insult Hindu gods, they can demand all right without any responsibility, they can get all benefits without contributing anything to nation and play victim card. Whole world is fed up with them. Jaisa Nabi vaise hi unke manne wale. Jahil, Gunde, Baiman. Inspite of giving two separate nation and lots of land, they remained here. They didn't go to Pakistan. Time to deal with them ruthlessly.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

I had been to Ujjain a day before yesterday. It is a great religious place of Hindus. Even in Ujjain, they were shouting Namaz from Mike. Inspite of millions of Hindus visiting temple, there was a little noice, but Jahils were shouting from Mike 5 time a day from multiple places.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

At his rallies, he referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators’, and claimed the main opposition Congress party would redistribute the nation's wealth to Muslims if it won.

He said that because congress president said this in open. He said that Congress will take the wealth from Rich and distribute amongst poor out of which Muslims will get majority share. Priyanka Gandhi supported his statement.

 

[Saif]

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir

Indian police in disputed Kashmir have raided dozens of bookshops and seized hundreds of copies of books by an Islamic scholar, sparking angry reactions by Muslim leaders...

www.newagebd.net

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir
Agence France-Presse . Srinagar 20 February, 2025, 00:25

Indian police in disputed Kashmir have raided dozens of bookshops and seized hundreds of copies of books by an Islamic scholar, sparking angry reactions by Muslim leaders.

Police said searches were based on ‘credible intelligence regarding the clandestine sale and distribution of literature promoting the ideology of a banned organisation’.

Officers did not name the author but store owners said they had seized literature by the late Abul Ala Maududi, founder of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full.

Rebel groups, demanding Kashmir’s freedom or its merger with Pakistan, have been fighting Indian forces for decades, with tens of thousands killed in the conflict.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government banned the Kashmir branch of Jamaat-e-Islami in 2019 as an ‘unlawful association’.

New Delhi renewed the ban last year for what it said were ‘activities against the security, integrity and sovereignty’ of the nation.

Plainclothes officers began raids in the main city of Srinagar on Saturday, before launching book seizures in other towns across the Muslim-majority region.

‘They (police) came and took away all the copies of books authored by Abul Ala Maududi, saying these books were banned,’ a bookshop owner in Srinagar said.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it was ‘the latest step in a series of measures to crush dissent and to intimidate the local people’.

‘They must be given freedom to read the books of their choice,’ spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said.

Police said the searches were conducted ‘to prevent the circulation of banned literature linked to Jamaat-e-Islami’.

‘These books were found to be in violation of legal regulations, and strict action is being taken against those found in possession of such material,’ police said in a statement.

The raids sparked anger among supporters of the party.

‘The seized books promote good moral values and responsible citizenship,’ said Shamim Ahmed Thokar.

Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and a prominent leader advocating for the right to self-determination, condemned the police action.

‘Cracking down on Islamic literature and seizing them from bookstores is ridiculous,’ Farooq said in a statement, pointing out that the literature was available online.

‘Policing thought by seizing books is absurd — to say the least — in the time of access to all information on virtual highways,’ he said.

Critics and many residents of Kashmir say civil liberties were drastically curtailed after Modi’s government imposed direct rule in 2019 by scrapping Kashmir’s constitutionally enshrined partial autonomy.​

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir

Indian police in disputed Kashmir have raided dozens of bookshops and seized hundreds of copies of books by an Islamic scholar, sparking angry reactions by Muslim leaders...

www.newagebd.net

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir
Agence France-Presse . Srinagar 20 February, 2025, 00:25

Indian police in disputed Kashmir have raided dozens of bookshops and seized hundreds of copies of books by an Islamic scholar, sparking angry reactions by Muslim leaders.

Police said searches were based on ‘credible intelligence regarding the clandestine sale and distribution of literature promoting the ideology of a banned organisation’.

Officers did not name the author but store owners said they had seized literature by the late Abul Ala Maududi, founder of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full.

Rebel groups, demanding Kashmir’s freedom or its merger with Pakistan, have been fighting Indian forces for decades, with tens of thousands killed in the conflict.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government banned the Kashmir branch of Jamaat-e-Islami in 2019 as an ‘unlawful association’.

New Delhi renewed the ban last year for what it said were ‘activities against the security, integrity and sovereignty’ of the nation.

Plainclothes officers began raids in the main city of Srinagar on Saturday, before launching book seizures in other towns across the Muslim-majority region.

‘They (police) came and took away all the copies of books authored by Abul Ala Maududi, saying these books were banned,’ a bookshop owner in Srinagar said.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it was ‘the latest step in a series of measures to crush dissent and to intimidate the local people’.

‘They must be given freedom to read the books of their choice,’ spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said.

Police said the searches were conducted ‘to prevent the circulation of banned literature linked to Jamaat-e-Islami’.

‘These books were found to be in violation of legal regulations, and strict action is being taken against those found in possession of such material,’ police said in a statement.

The raids sparked anger among supporters of the party.

‘The seized books promote good moral values and responsible citizenship,’ said Shamim Ahmed Thokar.

Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and a prominent leader advocating for the right to self-determination, condemned the police action.

‘Cracking down on Islamic literature and seizing them from bookstores is ridiculous,’ Farooq said in a statement, pointing out that the literature was available online.

‘Policing thought by seizing books is absurd — to say the least — in the time of access to all information on virtual highways,’ he said.

Critics and many residents of Kashmir say civil liberties were drastically curtailed after Modi’s government imposed direct rule in 2019 by scrapping Kashmir’s constitutionally enshrined partial autonomy.​

Not the books but Jihadi Literature. One way, any Islamic literature is Jihadi and hateful but what police have captured may be more provocating aimed to incite violence.

 

[Sharma Ji]

Abu Maududi .. kya naam hai 🤣

 

[Saif]

US religious freedom panel urges sanctions against India's external spy agency

Minorities in India face deteriorating treatment, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said on Tuesday and it recommended targeted sanctions against India's external spy agency over alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists. The panel's annual report also

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

US religious freedom panel urges sanctions against India's external spy agency
REUTERS
Published :
Mar 26, 2025 10:59
Updated :
Mar 26, 2025 10:59

A Muslim man offers prayers during Jumat-ul-Vida, or the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, inside Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi, India on April 5, 2024 — Reuters/File

Minorities in India face deteriorating treatment, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said on Tuesday and it recommended targeted sanctions against India's external spy agency over alleged involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatists.

The panel's annual report also said communist-ruled Vietnam stepped up efforts to regulate and control religious affairs. It recommended Vietnam - a country like India with which Washington has sought to build close ties given shared concerns about China - also be designated a "country of particular concern."

Analysts say Washington has long seen New Delhi as a counter to China's rising influence in Asia and elsewhere, and, hence, overlooked human rights issues in India. It is unlikely the US government will sanction India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) spy service, as the panel's recommendations are not binding.

Since 2023, India's alleged targeting of Sikh separatists in the US and Canada has emerged as a wrinkle in US-India ties, with Washington charging an ex-Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, in a foiled US plot. India labels Sikh separatists as security threats and has denied involvement.

"In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise," the US commission said in a report released on Tuesday.

It said Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities" during last year's election campaign.

Modi in April last year referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" who have "more children."

US State Department reports on human rights and religious freedom have noted minority abuses in recent years. New Delhi calls them "deeply biased."

Modi, who has been prime minister since 2014, denies discrimination and says his government's policies like electrification drives and subsidy schemes help all communities.

The panel recommended the US government "designate India as a 'country of particular concern'" for religious freedom violations and "impose targeted sanctions" against Yadav and RAW. The Indian embassy had no immediate comment.

Rights advocates, in noting the plight of Indian minorities, point to rising hate speech, a citizenship law the UN called "fundamentally discriminatory," anti-conversion legislation that critics say challenges freedom of belief, the revoking of Muslim majority Kashmir's special status and the demolition of properties owned by Muslims.

The commission is a bipartisan US government advisory body that monitors religious freedom abroad and makes policy recommendations.

On Vietnam, the panel said a new decree issued this month allowed Vietnamese authorities to further demand financial records from religious organisations and suspend religious activities for what the report said were vaguely worded "serious violations."

As of December, the US panel's Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List included over 80 prisoners whom the Vietnamese government punished for religious activities or religious freedom advocacy. The Vietnamese embassy had no immediate comment.​

 

[Saif]

Security situation for minorities in India deteriorating, US religious freedom panel says

A U.S. panel on religious freedom said on Tuesday the treatment of minorities in India is deteriorating and it recommended sanctions be imposed on India's external spy agency over its alleged involvement in plots to assassinate Sikh separatists, Reuters reports. The U.S. Commission on Intern

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Security situation for minorities in India deteriorating, US religious freedom panel says
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Mar 26, 2025 22:52
Updated :
Mar 26, 2025 22:54

A Muslim man offers prayers during Jumat-ul-Vida, or the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, inside Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi, India, April 5, 2024. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh/File photo

A U.S. panel on religious freedom said on Tuesday the treatment of minorities in India is deteriorating and it recommended sanctions be imposed on India's external spy agency over its alleged involvement in plots to assassinate Sikh separatists, Reuters reports.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also said in its annual report that communist-ruled Vietnam had stepped up efforts to regulate and control religious affairs. It recommended Vietnam be designated a "country of particular concern".

"In 2024, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise," the commission said in the report released on Tuesday.

Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities" during last year's election campaign, it said.

India dismissed the report on Wednesday, calling it part of a pattern of "biased and politically motivated assessments".

"The USCIRF's persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India's vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom," Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.​

 

[Saif]

New Indian bill proposes to revamp Muslim land management, faces backlash

The Indian government on Wednesday presented a bill in parliament that plans sweeping changes in the management of vast tracts of land set aside solely for Muslim use, potentially stoking tensions between the government and minority Muslims. The land and properties fall under the “waqf&rdquo

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

New Indian bill proposes to revamp Muslim land management, faces backlash
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 02, 2025 18:01
Updated :
Apr 02, 2025 18:01

A view of Zakir Nagar, a Muslim neighbourhood in New Delhi, India, Sept 18, 2024. Photo : REUTERS

The Indian government on Wednesday presented a bill in parliament that plans sweeping changes in the management of vast tracts of land set aside solely for Muslim use, potentially stoking tensions between the government and minority Muslims.

The land and properties fall under the “waqf” category, which means “to stay” in Arabic, and are endowed by a Muslim for religious, educational or charitable purposes. Such land cannot be transferred or sold.

Government and Muslim organisations estimate that over 25 waqf boards hold nearly 85,1535 properties and 900,000 acres of land, putting them among the top three landowners in India.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, tabled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, proposes inclusion of non-Muslim members in the central Waqf Council and waqf boards and will enable the government to determine ownership of disputed waqf properties.

The legislation comes amid tensions between the Muslim community and the Modi government. Opposition lawmakers and Islamic groups see the bill as a plan to secure assets owned by Muslims and to weaken their property rights under the Indian constitution.

Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the bill, said it would end corruption, mismanagement and examine ownership rules largely controlled by some Muslim families and elite groups.

The bill should “be viewed as a “pro-Muslim reform,” he said.

VOTE TO DECIDE BILL’S FATE

A vote by ruling alliance and opposition lawmakers in the lower house will decide the fate of the bill later on Wednesday.

“It is okay to reserve two posts in the Waqf board for non-Muslims but does it mean that Muslims will get similar reservation in the boards of Hindu temples?” asked Kamal Farooqui, an official of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

“Modi government wants to control the Islamic land bank and they have no right to undermine our institutions,” he said.

A 2006 report by the government-appointed Sachar Committee had urged an overhaul of waqf boards and monitoring of properties to generate higher returns for the Muslim community.

India is set to have the world’s largest Muslim population by 2050, the Pew Research Center has forecast. Yet the community, which makes up about 13 percent of India’s population, lags the national average on indicators such as education, employment and political representation.

Muslim groups allege Modi’s ruling party and hardline Hindu affiliates since 2014 have promoted anti-Islamic policies, violent vigilantism, and demolished Muslim-owned properties.

Modi and his party officials deny religious discrimination allegations.​

 

[Saif]

India's parliament passes bill that would change Muslim land endowments

India's parliament passed a controversial bill moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments while Muslim groups and opposition parties protested the move. The bill would add non-Muslims to boards that manage waqf land end

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India's parliament passes bill that would change Muslim land endowments
Published :
Apr 04, 2025 10:36
Updated :
Apr 04, 2025 10:36

India's parliament passed a controversial bill moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments while Muslim groups and opposition parties protested the move.

The bill would add non-Muslims to boards that manage waqf land endowments and give the government a larger role in validating their land holdings. The government says the changes will help to fight corruption and mismanagement while promoting diversity, but critics fear that it will further undermine the rights of the country’s Muslim minority and could be used to confiscate historic mosques and other property.

The debate was heated in both houses of parliament. The Lower House debated it Wednesday through early Thursday while in the Upper House, the fiery discussion lasted more than 16 hours into early Friday.

The Congress-led opposition firmly opposed the proposal, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory against Muslims. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lacks a majority in the Lower House, but its allies helped to pass the bill.

In the Lower House, 288 members voted for the bill while 232 were against it. Similarly, 128 favored it and 95 voted against it in the Upper House. The bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent to become law.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the bill to change a 1995 law that set rules for the foundations and set up state-level boards to administer them.

Many Muslim groups as well as the opposition parties say the proposal is discriminatory, politically motivated and an attempt by Modi’s ruling party to weaken minority rights.

The bill was first introduced in parliament last year, and opposition leaders have said some of their subsequent proposals on it were ignored. The government has said opposition parties are using rumors to discredit them and block transparency in managing the endowments.

What’s a waqf?

Waqfs are a traditional type of Islamic charitable foundation in which a donor permanently sets aside property — often but not always real estate — for religious or charitable purposes. Waqf properties cannot be sold or transferred.

Waqfs in India control 872,000 properties that cover 405,000 hectares (1 million acres) of land, worth an estimated $14.22 billion. Some of these endowments date back centuries, and many are used for mosques, seminaries, graveyards and orphanages.

Law would change who runs waqfs

In India, waqf property is managed by semi-official boards, one for each state and federally run union territory. The law would require non-Muslims to be appointed to the boards.

Currently, waqf boards are staffed by Muslims, like similar bodies that help administer other religious charities.

During the parliamentary debate, Home Minister Amit Shah said non-Muslims would be included in waqf boards only for administration purposes and helping run the endowments smoothly. He added that they were not there to interfere in religious affairs.

“The (non-Muslim) members will monitor whether the administration is running as per law or not, and whether the donations are being used for what they were intended or not,” he said.

Muslim groups, like The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said such comments were against the fundamentals of Islamic endowments as such bodies necessarily need to be governed by Muslims only. The board said the bill was “a blatant infringement on the constitutional rights of Muslim citizens” and called on citizens to hit the streets against it.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, said why should waqf bodies allow non-Muslims as members when Hindu temple trusts don’t allow people of other religions in their fold.

One of the most controversial changes is to ownership rules, which could impact historical mosques, shrines and graveyards since many such properties lack formal documentation as they were donated without legal records decades, and even centuries, ago.

Questions about title

Other changes could impact mosques on land held in centuries-old waqfs.

Radical Hindu groups have laid claim to several mosques around India, arguing they are built on the ruins of important Hindu temples. Many such cases are pending in courts.

The law would require waqf boards to seek approval from a district level officer to confirm the waqfs’ claims to property.

Critics say that would undermine the board and could lead to Muslims being stripped of their land. It’s not clear how often the boards would be asked to confirm such claims to land.

“The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights,” Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition leader, wrote on social media platform X. He said the bill was an “attack on the Constitution” by the BJP and its allies “aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future.”

Fears among Muslims

While many Muslims agree that waqfs suffer from corruption, encroachments and poor management, they also fear that the new law could give India’s Hindu nationalist government far greater control over Muslim properties, particularly at a time when attacks against minority communities have become more aggressive under Modi, with Muslims often targeted for everything from their food and clothing styles to inter-religious marriages.

Last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its annual report that religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate while Modi and his party “propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities” during last year’s election campaign.

Modi’s government says India is run on democratic principles of equality and no discrimination exists in the country.

Muslims, who are 14% of India’s 1.4 billion population, are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation but they are also the poorest, a 2013 government survey found.​

 

[Krishna with Flute]

India's parliament passes bill that would change Muslim land endowments

India's parliament passed a controversial bill moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments while Muslim groups and opposition parties protested the move. The bill would add non-Muslims to boards that manage waqf land end

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India's parliament passes bill that would change Muslim land endowments
Published :
Apr 04, 2025 10:36
Updated :
Apr 04, 2025 10:36

View attachment 16246

India's parliament passed a controversial bill moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments while Muslim groups and opposition parties protested the move.

The bill would add non-Muslims to boards that manage waqf land endowments and give the government a larger role in validating their land holdings. The government says the changes will help to fight corruption and mismanagement while promoting diversity, but critics fear that it will further undermine the rights of the country’s Muslim minority and could be used to confiscate historic mosques and other property.

The debate was heated in both houses of parliament. The Lower House debated it Wednesday through early Thursday while in the Upper House, the fiery discussion lasted more than 16 hours into early Friday.

The Congress-led opposition firmly opposed the proposal, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory against Muslims. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lacks a majority in the Lower House, but its allies helped to pass the bill.

In the Lower House, 288 members voted for the bill while 232 were against it. Similarly, 128 favored it and 95 voted against it in the Upper House. The bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent to become law.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the bill to change a 1995 law that set rules for the foundations and set up state-level boards to administer them.

Many Muslim groups as well as the opposition parties say the proposal is discriminatory, politically motivated and an attempt by Modi’s ruling party to weaken minority rights.

The bill was first introduced in parliament last year, and opposition leaders have said some of their subsequent proposals on it were ignored. The government has said opposition parties are using rumors to discredit them and block transparency in managing the endowments.

What’s a waqf?

Waqfs are a traditional type of Islamic charitable foundation in which a donor permanently sets aside property — often but not always real estate — for religious or charitable purposes. Waqf properties cannot be sold or transferred.

Waqfs in India control 872,000 properties that cover 405,000 hectares (1 million acres) of land, worth an estimated $14.22 billion. Some of these endowments date back centuries, and many are used for mosques, seminaries, graveyards and orphanages.

Law would change who runs waqfs

In India, waqf property is managed by semi-official boards, one for each state and federally run union territory. The law would require non-Muslims to be appointed to the boards.

Currently, waqf boards are staffed by Muslims, like similar bodies that help administer other religious charities.

During the parliamentary debate, Home Minister Amit Shah said non-Muslims would be included in waqf boards only for administration purposes and helping run the endowments smoothly. He added that they were not there to interfere in religious affairs.

“The (non-Muslim) members will monitor whether the administration is running as per law or not, and whether the donations are being used for what they were intended or not,” he said.

Muslim groups, like The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said such comments were against the fundamentals of Islamic endowments as such bodies necessarily need to be governed by Muslims only. The board said the bill was “a blatant infringement on the constitutional rights of Muslim citizens” and called on citizens to hit the streets against it.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, said why should waqf bodies allow non-Muslims as members when Hindu temple trusts don’t allow people of other religions in their fold.

One of the most controversial changes is to ownership rules, which could impact historical mosques, shrines and graveyards since many such properties lack formal documentation as they were donated without legal records decades, and even centuries, ago.

Questions about title

Other changes could impact mosques on land held in centuries-old waqfs.

Radical Hindu groups have laid claim to several mosques around India, arguing they are built on the ruins of important Hindu temples. Many such cases are pending in courts.

The law would require waqf boards to seek approval from a district level officer to confirm the waqfs’ claims to property.

Critics say that would undermine the board and could lead to Muslims being stripped of their land. It’s not clear how often the boards would be asked to confirm such claims to land.

“The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights,” Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition leader, wrote on social media platform X. He said the bill was an “attack on the Constitution” by the BJP and its allies “aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future.”

Fears among Muslims

While many Muslims agree that waqfs suffer from corruption, encroachments and poor management, they also fear that the new law could give India’s Hindu nationalist government far greater control over Muslim properties, particularly at a time when attacks against minority communities have become more aggressive under Modi, with Muslims often targeted for everything from their food and clothing styles to inter-religious marriages.

Last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its annual report that religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate while Modi and his party “propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities” during last year’s election campaign.

Modi’s government says India is run on democratic principles of equality and no discrimination exists in the country.

Muslims, who are 14% of India’s 1.4 billion population, are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation but they are also the poorest, a 2013 government survey found.​

A great thing which Indian government did. Waqf mafia checked.

 

[Bilal9]

450 hate speeches against Muslims by BJP leaders out of which 63 are delivered by Modi as per report. I ask everyone to report only one of those 63 speeches here.

It is true that hate for Muslims are growing in India. However, this is partly true. The complete truth is that hate for Muslims is growing across the world including India and other Muslim nations. They believe that they can openly shout slogans like "Gustakh e Rasul ki ek hi saja sar tan se juda", they may do Namaz on road, they can insult Hindu gods, they can demand all right without any responsibility, they can get all benefits without contributing anything to nation and play victim card. Whole world is fed up with them. Jaisa Nabi vaise hi unke manne wale. Jahil, Gunde, Baiman. Inspite of giving two separate nation and lots of land, they remained here. They didn't go to Pakistan. Time to deal with them ruthlessly.

Great sentiments on a weekend. Tabiat thik thak?

 

[Bilal9]

Abu Maududi .. kya naam hai 🤣

Correct name (if we're talking about the same person) was Abul A'la Maududi.

Abul A'la Maududi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bilal9]

Not the books but Jihadi Literature. One way, any Islamic literature is Jihadi and hateful but what police have captured may be more provocating aimed to incite violence.

If you call the writings of Abul A'la Maududi "Jihadi literature" than may Ma Saraswati help you. He was a modernizer of Islamic thought and an Islamic revivalist. Which is the opposite of jihadist philosophy.

"He also learned English and German to study, intensively, Western philosophy, sociology, and history for full five years: he eventually came up to the conclusion that "ulama' in the past did not endeavor to discover the causes of Europe's rise, and he offered a long list of philosophers whose scholarship had made Europe a world power: Fichte, Hegel, Comte, Mill, Turgot, Adam Smith, Malthus, Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Darwin, Goethe, and Herder, among others. Comparing their contribution to that of Muslims, he concluded that the latter did not reach even 1 percent."

Abul A'la Maududi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I mean - criticizing people is fine, but at least be accurate. Not all Muslims are mad propagators of Jihadist philosophy.

However - I do understand that today's incumbent BJP and RSS administration in India does not like his writings (characterizes them as extremist) and even forced Aligarh Muslim University recently to drop his writings from the syllabus. So be it.

AMU drops works of Maududi from Islamic Studies syllabus

Aligarh: The Aligarh Muslim University has removed the works of 20th century Islamic authors Abul Ala al-Maududi and Sayyid Qutub from the syllabus of Islamic S

kashmirreader.com