India passes bill to reform Muslim land trusts, sparking minority backlash
Listen to article
India's parliament passed a bill on Thursday to reform hugely wealthy Muslim land-owning organisations, with the Hindu nationalist government saying it will boost accountability while the opposition called it an 'attack' on a minority.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government argues the bill will boost transparency to more than a dozen powerful Waqf boards, which control properties gifted by Muslim charitable endowments.
There are around two dozen Waqf boards across India, owning some 900,000 acres (365,00 hectares), a multi-billion-dollar property empire that makes them one of the biggest landholders alongside the railways and the defence forces.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the bill on Wednesday, said it would check corruption and mismanagement and reduce the hold of a few entrenched groups.
The bill was passed by the lower house of parliament after a marathon debate that stretched into the early hours of Thursday.
It is expected to be passed by the upper house of parliament later on Thursday, handing far larger powers to civil servants in the supervision of Waqf boards.
Amit Shah, the interior minister and a close Modi aide, said the changes would help 'catch the people who lease out properties' for individual gains.
'That money, which could be used to aid the development of minorities, is being stolen,' he said.
Non-Muslims, who will be included in the boards as part of the new bill, will only be involved in 'administrative' matters, Shah said.
However, opposition parties accuse the government of pushing 'polarising politics' at the expense of India's Muslim minority of 200 million.
'The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights,' opposition Congress Party chief Rahul Gandhi said.
Gandhi called it an 'attack' by Hindu nationalists which he charged was 'aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future'.
Opposition parties see the bill as part of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to win favour with its right-wing Hindu base.
Modi's BJP has backed right-wing claims of mosques built over ancient Hindu temples and led efforts to construct a grand Hindu temple at the site of a demolished Mughal-era mosque in Ayodhya.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israeli military strikes Beirut's southern suburbs
BEIRUT: Israeli air strikes pummelled the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital late on Thursday, sending thousands of people fleeing on the eve of a Muslim feast day and prompting accusations by top Lebanese officials that Israel was violating a ceasefire deal. At least 10 strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs - a sprawling area known as Dahiyeh - in a wave of bombing that began about 90 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for four sites in the area. It was the fourth time that Dahiyeh has been bombed since a U.S.-brokered truce in November ended a year-long war between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah. The ceasefire says Hezbollah must pull all military equipment and fighters out of southern Lebanon and says all non-state fighter groups must be disarmed across the country. The Israeli military said on Thursday that it was planning to strike 'underground UAV production infrastructure sites that were deliberately established in the heart of civilian population' in Dahiyeh. It said Hezbollah was producing thousands of drones there, 'with the direction and funding of Iranian terrorists.' There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, which in the past has denied placing military infrastructure in civilian areas. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that Lebanon's army had received a notice earlier on Thursday that military equipment was being stored in one area in Dahiyeh. After visiting the site, the army determined there was no such military equipment stored there. 'Then, the Israeli military put out their warning. The army tried to enter Dahiyeh again to search again and prevent the strikes, but Israeli warning strikes blocked the troops from entering the area,' the source said. The strikes sent thick plumes of smoke billowing over the district until midnight, according to Reuters footage. Thousands fled, causing traffic gridlock. Most ended up fleeing on foot to relatives' homes, and others stayed out in the streets. Israeli strikes also hit the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana, according to Lebanese state media, shortly after evacuation warnings were issued for the area. The attacks occurred as the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha was due to begin on Thursday. The strikes 'generated renewed panic and fear on the eve of Eid Al-Adha,' the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said on X. Israel strikes south Beirut, prompting Lebanese appeal to ceasefire guarantors Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam both condemned the attacks as a 'blatant violation' of international agreements. Hezbollah and Israel accuse each other of not fulfilling the terms of the truce, which has looked shaky in recent months. Israel's military has continually targeted southern Lebanon and Israeli troops still occupy five hilltop positions in the south. Israel has struck Beirut's suburbs three times since the truce was agreed, mostly in response to rocket launches from Lebanon. Hezbollah denied involvement in those launches. The latest war between longtime foes Israel and Hezbollah began in October 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli military positions in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas. Israel escalated the following year in a heavy bombing campaign that killed thousands of Hezbollah fighters, destroying much of its arsenal and eliminating its top leadership, including its then-secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.
Express Tribune
8 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Denmark aims to ban veils in schools, varsities
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday her government planned to extend the ban on full-face Islamic veils in public places and apply it to schools and universities as well. She also said she wanted to see an end to prayer rooms at universities but stopped short of calling for a outright ban. "God has to step aside. You have the right to your faith and to practice your religion but democracy takes precedence," she told Danish news agency Ritzau. In August 2018, Denmark banned the wearing full-face Islamic veils like the burqa and niqab in public places, with offenders subject to a fine. Human rights campaigners and religious groups have criticised the ban as discriminatory and as a violation of both freedom of religion and women's freedom of choice. Supporters argue it enables Muslims of immigrant backgrounds to better integrate into Danish society. Frederiksen alleged that prayer rooms at universities could be used for "social control and oppression". She said her government would start talks with universities to have them removed. "It's not a discussion about whether we want them or not," Frederiksen said. "We are actively taking a position that we don't want them because they are used as a mechanism of oppression against girls and potentially boys as well." Frederiksen said she did not know how widespread the phenomenon was. "For me, it's not just the scale that matters. I'm the prime minister of Denmark. I'm also a woman. And I can't tolerate the oppression of women."
Business Recorder
10 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Senate body approves ‘Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2024'
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat approved, 'The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2024' which makes mandatory for Grade-17 and above officers to declare their assets. The committee met with Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan in the chair at Parliament Lodges on Thursday. According to the bill, senior civil servants will now be required to disclose not only their own assets but also those of their spouses and dependent children. The declaration must also include foreign assets and liabilities. The asset details will be submitted to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which will be authorised to make them public, while ensuring a balance between public interest and individual privacy. The bill also mandates the protection of personal information, including national identity card numbers, residential addresses, and bank account details. During the meeting, the cabinet officials to the committee that civil servants will be legally bound to disclose their assets once the bill becomes law. Senator Farooq H Naek said, 'this is a good piece of legislation,' Senator Anusha Rehman from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also endorsed the bill, pledging full support. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
