Waqf amendment a political issue, not a Muslim issue, says Thangal
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Panakkad Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal has said that the Waqf (Amendment) Act is not just a 'Muslim issue' but a 'political issue' aimed at communal polarisation targeting the minorities.
He was opening a protest gathering against the Act, organised by the All-Indian Muslim Personal Law Board, here on Saturday. The Thangal said all secular parties opposed the amendment because it was a political issue. He claimed that the Supreme Court had noticed some of the legal tangles in it, and the Union government backtracked on some of the provisions because of this. The Thangal said that united efforts should be continued to legally challenge the amendment.
The meeting passed a resolution, saying that the Act was part of an anti-Muslim agenda conceived in 'Sangh Parivar factories', which was aimed at curbing the religious freedom of the community and destroying the country's pluralistic and secular policies. The attempt was to divert attention from issues such as unemployment, poverty alleviation, and development. Misleading arguments were being spread about the Waqf provisions in Islam.
The meeting urged the Kerala government not to implement the Act in the State and hold consultations with community leaders before taking any decisions. The participants said Kerala should emulate the model of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments, who had decided not to enforce it. A call was also given to observe a symbolic protest by switching off lights between 9 p.m. and 9.15 p.m. on April 30.
E.T. Mohammed Basheer, M.P. Abdussamad Samadani, and P.V. Abdul Vahab, MPs, P.K. Kunhalikutty, IUML national general secretary, and representatives of community organisations were present.
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