Wed Sep 11 04:00:39 UTC 2024: ## Jammu and Kashmir’s Muslim Leaders Demand Rejection of Waqf Bill Amendments
**Srinagar, India** – The Muttaheda Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU) Jammu and Kashmir, a coalition of 46 religious bodies and Islamic institutions, has urged the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to reject proposed amendments to the Waqf Act of 1995. Led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the group views the amendments as a direct attack on the Muslim community’s religious freedom and autonomy.
In a letter addressed to the JPC chairman, Jagdambika Pal, the MMU expressed serious concerns about the bill’s potential impact, stating that it “undermines our religious freedom and the autonomy of our institutions.” The group has threatened protests if the amendments are not rejected, viewing them as an “assault on our religious institutions.”
The proposed bill aims to tighten government control over Waqf properties, which are dedicated by Muslims to charitable and religious purposes. The bill mandates registration of Waqf properties with the District Collector’s Office, allowing for government assessment and potentially reclassifying properties as government land.
The MMU argues that this provision grants the collector “absolute power to change the nature of the waqf properties into ‘Government properties’,” effectively undermining the original intent of the Waqf Act. They also criticize the bill’s increased non-Muslim representation in the central Waqf council and state Waqf boards, arguing it undermines the historic Muslim majority within these institutions.
The group further condemns the bill’s proposal to eliminate “Waqf by user,” a practice that allows for centuries-old mosques and other Islamic institutions not formally registered in revenue records to be recognized as Waqf properties. They fear this change will open the door to legal disputes and government appropriation of these institutions.
The MMU has requested a meeting with the JPC to further express their concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition to the bill within the Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir.
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