Muslim organisations in Kerala flay passage of Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha

IUML State president Panakkad Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal and party’s national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty say it will be challenged legally

Muslim organisations in Kerala and political parties such as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) have objected to the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha.

IUML State president Panakkad Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal and the party’s national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty said on Thursday (April 3, 2025) that it would be challenged legally.

They alleged that an “indirect attempt” was being made to usurp Waqf properties. It was an indication that the properties of other communities too would be taken away in the future. Discussions had been held with the Congress over the issue. The Munambam land dispute was not related to the Bill, they said.

M.K. Muneer, IUML MLA, however, told the media that the Munambam issue would become “more complex now.” He claimed that those staying at Munambam would be adversely affected by the passage of the Bill.

Mr. Muneer pointed out that producing more documents related to the land ownership there could lead to a legal tangle. He suggested that both the Christian and the Muslim communities should hold talks to sort out the issue.

‘Anti-constitutional bill’

He said “an anti-constitutional bill” had been passed in Parliament with the support of the BJP’s numerical strength there.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah is reported to have said that the Bill would be implemented at any cost and it would not be set aside just because of the Opposition raised by certain groups,” he said.

Mr. Muneer said there had been instances of Bills passed by Parliament being quashed by the courts.

Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal, president of the Sunni scholars’ forum Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, said the Muslims in the country were concerned about the Bill.

“Some people are trying to reap political dividend by propagating hatred. It will disrupt the religious harmony of society and endanger the Constitution,” he said.

Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, Sunni scholar and leader of the ‘A.P. faction’ of the Samastha, said the Bill would “snatch away the rights of the minorities and destroy the country’s secular and pluralist values.”

The Bill was an attempt to create discrimination and induce injustice among various religious communities, he added.

‘A genocidal attack’

Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala Amir P. Mujeeb Rahman termed the Bill “a genocidal attack” on Indian Muslims by the BJP-led government. He said the attempt was to “eliminate the identity” of Muslims by destroying their cultural and economic identity.

T.P. Abdullakoya Madani, president of Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, urged the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala to prepare for a legal fight against the Bill.

Published - April 03, 2025 01:15 pm IST