‘We do not identify as Hindu… no stake in Waqf issue but fighting in SC for Muslims': Founder of Kerala trust
Kerala-based Sree Narayana Manava Dharmam Trust has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The trust, which propagates the teachings of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, has said the changes to the Waqf Act 'threaten the very existence of the Muslim community in India'.
Founder-chairperson of the trust and former director of the National Judicial Academy Dr G Mohan Gopal speaks to The Indian Express about the Waqf Act and their decision to go to the Supreme Court, among other issues. Excerpts:
Firstly, we reject the Hindu label and do not identify ourselves as a Hindu trust. We follow the principles of Sree Narayana Guru, who advocated one caste, one religion and one God. He had rejected the concept of Hinduism as a religion. Our trust, which was founded in 2023, should be seen as the voice of the Sree Narayana community in Kerala. We are against projecting Guru as a Hindu figure.
*So are you against the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, seen to be the most powerful outfit of the Sree Narayana (Ezhava) community in Kerala?
We are not against any organisation. A section of the SNDP Yogam has gone against the Guru's teachings and embraced Hinduism. However, many members still follow his teachings.
We are a clarifying force rather than a corrective one, and are getting people to reach the Guru directly instead of depending on interpretations. We are conducting programmes to ensure this happens, and social peace and harmony prevails.
As a trust, we do not have any stake in the issue, but we are fighting for the cause of Muslims. Many people have appreciated us, but those who want to polarise society and isolate minorities are not happy.
The amendment has abolished the very mechanism of Waqf and replaced it with a State system. It violates four features laid down by the Prophet. By handing over the administration to non-Muslims, it is breaking the laid-down foundation that Waqf must be administered in accordance with Muslim traditions.
The Act tampers with the fundamentals of the Waqf system and will destroy the system which was put in place to look after poor Muslims.
The Act imposes several restrictions on the creation of Waqf, impacting the flow of funds. The creation of Waqf is not possible verbally and needs to be done only through deeds. Dedication of property is vital for Waqf.
Besides, the definition set by the government is so wide (as to) enable any government or its organisation to stake claim on a property. A district collector can now walk into any property… The matter of indiscriminate powers to the Waqf boards is a separate issue.
The effects will be felt in 20 years. Muslim institutions will start feeling the paucity of funds. There may not be enough money to even run a madarsa. When there is not enough money to run religious institutions, the existence of the religion will be in trouble.
… It is a big risk. You are attacking the viability of religious institutions and therefore the financial viability of a religion. To practise religion, one needs financial resources. Cutting of financial resources means suffocating the practice of religion. People are not going to accept it.
Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. It is an issue of facts and there is a mechanism to determine facts. If a Waqf board decision is wrong, there is a remedy in the Waqf tribunal, over which the High Court has jurisdiction. Munambam is not in the larger scheme of things. It is being used to create Islamophobia.
How many temples have (similar) land disputes? However, these disputes have never been used to target a community. The Munambam land row is being used to attack Muslims.
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