After PM Modi bats for uniform civil code, Muslim regulation board says will struggle it ‘tooth and nail’

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for the nationwide implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the All India Muslim Personal Law Board determined to oppose any transfer to implement the proposal, which seeks to formulate and implement a set of widespread private legal guidelines for all Indian residents no matter their spiritual religion, caste or creed.

Convening a web based assembly, attended by AIMPLB president Saifullah Rehmani, chairman of Islamic Centre of India and member of AIMPLB Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, AIMPLB legal professionals and others late on Tuesday evening, the board determined to current its views extra forcefully earlier than the Law Commission.

At the assembly, the members finalised the paperwork to be submitted to the Law Commission in assist of their standpoint. Notably, the opinion of PM Modi put forth on Tuesday was in sync with the affidavit filed by the Union ministry of regulation in reference to the UCC within the Supreme Court a number of months in the past.

As per the affidavit submitted by the Centre, “citizens belonging to different religions and denominations following different property and matrimonial laws is an affront to the nation’s unity”.

Reacting to the PM’s viewpoint, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali stated, “AIMPLB will oppose the Uniform Civil Code tooth and nail. We are chalking out a strategy to counter the proposed move of the government by presenting our view in front of the law commission more powerfully. All prominent Muslim leaders of the country were present in the online meeting held on Tuesday.”

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The distinguished Muslim cleric and AIMPLB member added that as per the development, for the previous a number of years, politicians had been elevating the problem when elections have been not far away.

“This time too, the issue has come up before the 2024 general elections,” he maintained. Maulana Khalid additional stated, “I have always said that the UCC is not only going to affect Muslims but also Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Jews, Parsis and other miniscule minorities living in the country. India is a country where language changes at every 100 km. So, how can we have the same set of rules for all communities. Every community has a different way of praying, performing rituals and conducting ceremonies like marriage. The freedom to practise one’s own faith and way of life is granted to everyone by the Constitution.”

However, the AIMPLB member denied that there was a connection between the assembly and PM Modi’s Tuesday speech because the assembly was pre-scheduled whereby members needed to deliberate on the response to be given to the Law Commission’s public discover. “We will be submitting our feedback to the Law Commission in the first week of July,” stated an AIMPLB govt committee member.

As per AIMPLB sources, the board members have been of the view that the UCC was neither obligatory nor did it profit the nation in any means.

“India is a multi-religious nation with multiple cultures, languages, rituals supporting its ethos of diversity. Religious freedom is enshrined as a fundamental right in the Constitution and the UCC interferes with this right as Muslim personal law is a part and parcel of our religious freedom. In any case, UCC in a manner already exists in the country in the form of the Special Marriage Act, the Inheritance Act etc as optional provisions,” stated the Maulana. 

LUCKNOW: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for the nationwide implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the All India Muslim Personal Law Board determined to oppose any transfer to implement the proposal, which seeks to formulate and implement a set of widespread private legal guidelines for all Indian residents no matter their spiritual religion, caste or creed.

Convening a web based assembly, attended by AIMPLB president Saifullah Rehmani, chairman of Islamic Centre of India and member of AIMPLB Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, AIMPLB legal professionals and others late on Tuesday evening, the board determined to current its views extra forcefully earlier than the Law Commission.

At the assembly, the members finalised the paperwork to be submitted to the Law Commission in assist of their standpoint. Notably, the opinion of PM Modi put forth on Tuesday was in sync with the affidavit filed by the Union ministry of regulation in reference to the UCC within the Supreme Court a number of months in the past.googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

As per the affidavit submitted by the Centre, “citizens belonging to different religions and denominations following different property and matrimonial laws is an affront to the nation’s unity”.

Reacting to the PM’s viewpoint, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali stated, “AIMPLB will oppose the Uniform Civil Code tooth and nail. We are chalking out a strategy to counter the proposed move of the government by presenting our view in front of the law commission more powerfully. All prominent Muslim leaders of the country were present in the online meeting held on Tuesday.”

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The distinguished Muslim cleric and AIMPLB member added that as per the development, for the previous a number of years, politicians had been elevating the problem when elections have been not far away.

“This time too, the issue has come up before the 2024 general elections,” he maintained. Maulana Khalid additional stated, “I have always said that the UCC is not only going to affect Muslims but also Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Jews, Parsis and other miniscule minorities living in the country. India is a country where language changes at every 100 km. So, how can we have the same set of rules for all communities. Every community has a different way of praying, performing rituals and conducting ceremonies like marriage. The freedom to practise one’s own faith and way of life is granted to everyone by the Constitution.”

However, the AIMPLB member denied that there was a connection between the assembly and PM Modi’s Tuesday speech because the assembly was pre-scheduled whereby members needed to deliberate on the response to be given to the Law Commission’s public discover. “We will be submitting our feedback to the Law Commission in the first week of July,” stated an AIMPLB govt committee member.

As per AIMPLB sources, the board members have been of the view that the UCC was neither obligatory nor did it profit the nation in any means.

“India is a multi-religious nation with multiple cultures, languages, rituals supporting its ethos of diversity. Religious freedom is enshrined as a fundamental right in the Constitution and the UCC interferes with this right as Muslim personal law is a part and parcel of our religious freedom. In any case, UCC in a manner already exists in the country in the form of the Special Marriage Act, the Inheritance Act etc as optional provisions,” stated the Maulana.