Muslim Organizations Support Waqf Law Amendments Amid Heated Debates

In a contentious parliamentary session, three Muslim organizations, including an RSS affiliate, voiced support for proposed amendments to the Waqf law. Opposition members questioned their claims and laid down red lines against abolishing waqf tribunals and including non-Muslims in councils. The committee will meet stakeholders across various cities.

Amid heated exchanges between the NDA and opposition members, three Muslim organizations, including an RSS affiliate, on Friday supported the proposed amendments to the Waqf law before a parliamentary panel, sources said.

When the three Muslim organizations – All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council (AISSC), RSS-affiliated Rashtriya Muslim Manch, and NGO Bharat First – made their presentations before the Joint Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, opposition members sought to find flaws in their claims.

Shiv Sena member Naresh Mhaske suggested opposition members be open to alternative viewpoints, leading to a brief exchange of words. Some opposition members questioned the Sufi Shah Malang sect's representation.

The Committee is scheduled to travel to multiple cities to meet stakeholders between September 26 and October 1. Over successive meetings, opposition members laid down red lines against proposals like the deletion of the waqf by user provision, making district collectors arbiters, and inclusion of non-Muslims in waqf councils.

The All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council demanded a separate dargah board for protecting properties and clarifications on confiscation fears. Committee chairman Jagdambika Pal assured no such provisions existed in the Bill.

The Muslim Rashtriya Manch called for a separate waqf board for the Sufi Shah Malang community, and the Bharat First NGO praised the bill for its potential to revolutionize waqf property management, citing poor record-keeping and encroachments as existing issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)