BNP urges India to reconsider Waqf amendment bill

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called on India to reconsider the recently passed Waqf amendment bill, describing it a move tantamount to direct interference in the religious rights of Indian Muslims. 

Salah Uddin Ahmed, a member of the party’s national standing committee, made the call at a press briefing at the party chairperson’s office in the capital’s Gulshan area on Sunday. 

Citing the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and similar organisations, the BNP leader noted that the bill goes against the fundamental spirit of the Islamic Waqf system. According to them, the Waqf boards should be conducted with the Muslims only. 

“Waqf is an old Islamic charity system for minority Muslims in India. After analysing some provisions of the bill, we noticed that the law seeks to curtail the rights of minority Muslims in India and discriminate against them,” Salah Uddin said.

He mentioned that the Indian Muslims and different Muslim organisations termed the legislation as “unconstitutional and politically motivated.” 

The BNP leader warned that there are enough scopes to misuse the law, which is against the religious tradition, rights, culture, and interests of 14 per cent or nearly 200 million of the Indian population. He feared that it may severely disrupt the management of Islamic religious institutions in the country. 

“Most of the nearly one million acres of Waqf land under the Waqf boards in India is used for public welfare purposes, like mosques, madrasas, orphanages, and graveyards. Inclusion of non-Muslims in the management board of these properties gave rise to controversies, and it may eventually undermine the constitutional rights of Muslim citizens,” he added.   

Salah Uddin expressed concern that interference in religious rights of the Muslims and discriminatory behaviour towards them may put the communal harmony at risk. “We believe such a step should not be taken from the state level.” 

He also pointed out that Indian boards or legal institutions representing other religious communities typically do not include members from other faiths. From this perspective, the Waqf Bill can be seen as discriminatory, casting uncertainty over the future of centuries-old mosques and other religious institutions located on waqf land.