Article 35A was against Islam as it stripped women of right over property: Shahnawaz Hussain

Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Thursday lashed out at "Muslim intellectuals" opposing the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that the now-abolished Article 35A -- which prevented residents of other parts of the country from buying property in the northern state -- was "against Islam".

Addressing a press conference in this north Bihar town, the headquarter of East Champaran district, Hussain alleged that the abrogated constitutional provision stripped a woman of rights over ancestral property in the event of she marrying a man from outside Jammu and Kashmir, which was "against the Sharia".

"There are many Muslim intellectuals who are opposing the Narendra Modi government's action in Jammu and Kashmir making it a Hindu versus Muslim issue. I want to pose a question to them do they think that Article 35A was in accordance with the Sharia law," the BJP national spokesman said.

"As per the Sharia law, a girl child cannot be deprived of her rights over the property she inherits from her parents. But Article 35 A made even that conditional. This was against Islam and the Sharia, besides, of course, being in violation of the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution. Muslim intellectuals should introspect on this issue," the former Union minister said.

Defending Union minister Amit Shah's assertion that the National Register for Citizens, which has so far been unrolled only in Assam, would be introduced throughout the country, Hussain asked "what problem do people have with that? Does an illegal immigrant in Assam cease to be one if he hides in Bihar?"