Waqf Bill more dangerous than erstwhile black or jungle laws: Ulema board

The All India Ulema Board has called the Waqf Bill more dangerous than the erstwhile black laws or jungle laws, claiming that it endangers Islamic properties like mosques and madrasas.

Allama Bani Nayeem Hasani, national president of the organisation, told reporters at the Mumbai Press Club here that the main problem with the new bill is that if a government employee makes a claim on a Waqf property, another government staffer will decide on the matter. 

Claiming that the decision taken by the government employee cannot even be challenged in the high courts or the Supreme Court, Hasani said the bill endangers the existence of Waqf properties like mosques, madrasas, and shelter homes.

 

This way, he claimed, all Islamic properties would be wiped out, and even the assets of Sikh, Christian, and other communities would meet a similar fate in the future. 

This is not a Hindu-Muslim issue, but a matter of justice, he said.

Hasani also claimed that all black laws are passed under the cover of darkness.

You can call the Waqf (Amendment) Bill a black law, jungle law, or even more dangerous than those, Hasani said, without elaborating on black law and jungle law.

Replying to a question about their future course of action, Hasani said they would follow the guidelines issued by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and protest peacefully.

He said the All India Ulema Board and other Muslim organisations have welcomed all MPs of the INDIA bloc who opposed the bill, especially Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf Bill on Thursday night, a day after Lok Sabha had given the contentious draft law, which was strongly opposed by a united opposition.