“Muslims are confronting on daily basis with issues like riots, poverty, illiteracy, insecurity, social, economic and educational deprivation but an atmosphere is created that the only important issues of Muslims are triple talaq and personal laws which according to them are an obstacle to the growth and overall development of Muslims. Neither the government nor the media is concerned at all about the other real issues which Muslims are seriously facing today save and except personal law issues. It is repeatedly said that only because of their personal laws Muslims are lagging in every sphere. The rhetoric behind the personal law issues is probably aimed at diverting attention from the real issues of Muslims.” The statement was made by the president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari while briefing the national media, at the Press Club of India, during the launch of a nationwide awareness campaign on Muslim Personal Law on 22 April.
“They raise questions on personal laws but it is important for them to understand the logic and not merely raise the question without understanding why and in what context it has been said. It is important to mention here that about 5 crore Muslims, in which women are in a large number, have signed a petition that they don’t want any kind of change in the personal laws. Never in the history of India had Muslims signed in such large numbers, which is in itself significant and remarkable,” said Maulana Umari, who is also Vice President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
On the campaign and the misunderstanding on the issue, Maulana Umari said, a 15-day nationwide campaign has been launched to make people aware of all personal law issues and to clear the misunderstanding, negativity and prejudice prevailing in the minds of the people. Personal laws are all about the family system wherein rights, duties and responsibilities have been clearly marked and defined. Personal laws, since its revelation in the Holy Qur’ān, have been followed by the entire Muslims without any iota of doubt and no question has ever been raised to reform, repeal or incorporate any kind of changes. Muslims, either in minority or majority, have followed it in the same spirit irrespective of which parts of the world they were in.
President of JIH also opined that despite all kinds of efforts by the Ulema and religious sermons the general Muslims are still not fully aware of personal laws and the message of its proper use and application has so far not reached to them in the desired manner. Our effort is to reach out to them so that they might become aware of these issues and understand their logic, relevance, importance and significance in today’s world. We want to make sure that there should not be any individual left who is ignorant of personal laws. He asked the like-minded people from the media, judiciary and social activists to support the campaign in order to serve the purpose.
Mohammad Jafar, national convener of the campaign, while addressing the media persons, said, “The personal laws issues which we are confronting today are because we failed to approach it in the desired manner. We will try to reach out to 4 to 5 crore people belonging to all segments of society, including the educated or uneducated, lawyers, media persons and non-Muslim brethren to inform them what exactly Muslim personal laws are. Efforts would be made to create more awareness and clear the doubts and misconception doing rounds in the society at all levels.”
“The nationwide campaign will start on 23 April with launching of the programme in almost all state capitals and will end on 7 May with concluding programme in New Delhi. We have planned to distribute more than 10 lakhs booklets and few lakhs folders. We will hold programmes in all state capitals and in all district headquarters. In order to maximise the reach 700 public meetings and 8000 Friday sermons will be organised. Apart from cities and towns, the campaign will cover 20,000 villages and slum dwellers. Also, various counselling centres will be shaped up and efforts would be made to strengthen the Shariah courts in the entire country,” said Jafar who is also a member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
Jamaat’s Secretary General, Mohammad Salim Engineer displayed the app called MPLAC designed for this campaign to reach out to a large number of people. He also said efforts would be made to connect with the people through various available social media tools.
While reacting sharply to a question on Purdah, Atiya Siddiqua (Jamaat’s Secretary, women wing) and assistant convener of the campaign, said the purpose of purdah is to protect us from bad elements in the society and their ill-mannered behaviour against women which is also a kind of pollution increasing in our society. So by doing so we are protecting ourselves from this kind of pollution which has vitiated the atmosphere of our society. She further questioned the motives of all those champions of Muslim women by saying why they have not done anything to help and support the widow of Pehlu Khan who was killed by cow vigilantes if they are really concerned for Muslim women.
Senior leaders of Jamaat Nusrat Ali (Vice President), Mohammad Ahmed (Secretary for Community & Political Affairs), were also present during the briefing.