It goes against the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution, says the premier Muslim body in a resolution passed after two days of deliberations in Kanpur
NEW DELHI – The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has warned that the government should not attempt to impose the Uniform Civil Code directly or indirectly, partially or fully, on the country.
Following two days of deliberations in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the premier Muslim body said for a vast multi-religious country like India UCC was neither suitable nor useful. It also reminded the government that UCC goes against the fundamental rights guaranteed in India’s constitution.
“India is a multi-faith country, and every citizen is guaranteed to practice and profess his faith and religious beliefs, and to act on and preach the same. Uniform Civil Code is neither suitable nor useful for such a vast multi-religious country like India. Any attempt in this direction is discordant with the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution,” the Press Trust of India quoted a resolution passed by AIMPLB on the second and final day of its 27th public session.
According to PTI, the AIMPLB also tried to draw the government’s attention towards insult of Prophet Muhammad by some mischievous persons”, and lamented that the government failed to take any step, which could possibly act as a deterrent. “This attitude of the communal forces is totally unacceptable. This amounts to causing discord in the country and runs counter to the interests of nationalism and patriotism, it said.
It added that any insult to Prophet Muhammad is bound to hurt feelings of Muslims world over and tarnish the image of the country. It demanded punishment to those who showed disrespect to the holy figures, and also a legislation to tackle the issue. The board also asked the government and judiciary to refrain from interpreting holy scriptures, saying only religious authorities were eligible to do that.
The AIMPLB also referred to the arrests of some Muslim preachers in recent months and said they were implicated in false cases of forced conversions even when the converts never made any complaint to police about being forced.
Meanwhile, Maulana Rabe Hasan Nadwi was re-elected as the chairman of the AIMPLB for a sixth consecutive term. Maulana Khalid Saifullah was elected general secretary. Maulana Arshad Madani and Dr. Syed Ali Naqvi were elected vice-presidents.