India Passes Controversial Waqf Law Amid Protests From Muslim Groups
Modi Government's New Bill Sparks Uproar Over Inclusion of Non-Muslims on Islamic Endowment Boards.
Watan-The Indian parliament has passed a controversial bill proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Islamic land endowments (waqf), amid protests from Islamic groups and opposition parties.
Under the bill, non-Muslims will be included on the boards that manage Islamic endowment properties, and the government will be granted a greater role in verifying their assets.
The government claims the amendments will help combat corruption, mismanagement, and promote diversity. However, critics fear it could undermine the rights of the Muslim minority in the country and be used to confiscate historic mosques and other properties.
The debate in both houses of parliament was intense. The lower house discussed the bill from Wednesday until early Thursday, while the heated debate in the upper house continued for more than 16 hours until early Friday morning.
The opposition, led by the Congress Party, strongly opposed the bill, describing it as unconstitutional and discriminatory against Muslims.
Modi’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lacks a majority in the lower house, but its allies helped pass the bill.
In the lower house, 288 members voted in favor of the bill, while 232 opposed it. Similarly, 128 voted in favor and 95 against it in the upper house. The bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for approval to become law.
