New Delhi: A group of progressive Muslim activists, intellectuals and women’s rights advocates have released a joint statement and criticised the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s recent nationwide “Save India, Save Shariat” campaign.
The group called for a focus on gender equality, constitutional rights and socio-economic concerns affecting the community and not on following shariat laws.
The collective initiative has been initiated by Javed Anand and Feroze Mithiborwala of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), Zakia Soman and Noorjahan Safia Niaz of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), Shamsuddin Tamboli of the Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal and Bader Saeed of Roshni.
Celebrities such as Naseeruddin Shah, Amol Palekar, Ratna Pathak and Mallika Sarabhai, along with academic Zeenat Shaukat Ali, activist Teesta Setalvad, writer Sultan Shaheen, social commentator Ram Puniyani and Tushar Gandhi are among those who have signed the statement.
The campaign by the AIMPLB was announced on 31 August and is scheduled to run for three months from 17 September. The board had said that the initiative is intended to highlight concerns over the Uniform Civil Code, religious freedom and what it describes as selective enforcement of laws.
However, even before the latest debate around it, the campaign has also faced criticism from sections of the Pasmanda Muslim community, which have warned that it could contribute to political polarisation.
In the latest statement, the progressive Muslim groups said that the campaign could shift public attention away from issues of equality and citizenship towards religious identity.
The statement also points to the AIMPLB’s 2016 affidavit in the Shayara Bano case, saying that the Board itself had acknowledged the influence of patriarchal structures on personal laws.
“The so-called “God-given Shariat Law’ in India is nothing but man-made personal laws, male-interpreted patriarchal interpretations defended by the AIMPLB”, read the statement.
Religious freedom
The groups also added that religious freedom must be respected along with the constitutional rights to equality and non-discrimination under Articles 14 and 15.
They added that personal laws should also protect women’s rights.
“While mainstream parties often ignore Muslim women’s civil rights, the Hindu Right exploits the UCC debate for political polarisation. Genuine family law reform must guarantee Muslim women equal rights regarding minimum marriage age, abolition of polygamy, mutual divorce, equal inheritance, child custody, adoption, and a ban on female genital mutilation and halala”, the statement read. It included the political exploitation faced by muslim women and called for reforms for the progress of Muslim women in the country.
The statement further added that, by focusing on “Saving Shariah,” the AIMPLB has ignored or diverted attention from the real-life, everyday challenges facing Indian Muslims, including socio-economic marginalisation, security, education, and employment.
“The ulema must address survival issues rather than furthering retrogressive norms”, it added.