India Tomorrow
MUMBAI–Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind leader Maulana Syed Arshad Madani has said that efforts to bring a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is aimed at abolishing freedom of religion in India.
He made his comments while addressing a public gathering at the historic Azad Maidan on the conclusion of a three-day national conference of JUH on May 21.
In the same vein, he said that the soft and flexible attitude of Congress towards the sectarian and communal forces involved in assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was responsible for strengthening the divisive forces that has taken the country on the path of destruction.
Elaborating, he said that after Partition, anti-Muslim riots began all over the country and Mahatma Gandhi had taken steps to stop them. But the sectarian forces, even some senior leaders in the Congress, did not like this and turned against him. This eventually resulted in his assassination.
Maulana Madani said that the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was actually the assassination of the secularism of the country, but the Congress leadership did not do what it should have done at that time.
He further said that Jamiat Ulama-i- Hind leadership had been constantly urging the leadership of Congress to curb the fanaticism of the sectarian groups but they did not pay attention to it. This gave a boost to sectarian ideology.
Turning the pages of history, he said that before independence, the leaders of Jamiat Ulama-i- Hind had taken a written promise from the Congress leaders that after independence, the country’s Constitution would be secular, which meant that the government would have no religion, and all minorities would have complete religious freedom.
But the roots of communalism went deeper inside. And no effective action was taken by Congress against communal and divisive forces despite the fact that Congress was in power at the Centre and all the states. Congress could have passed a strict law on it if it wanted, but it adopted a flexible policy, and as a result of this, the communalists became powerful and this communalism had now swallowed even Congress.
However, he praised the Congress leadership for taking a tough stand against communalist forces in Karnataka elections.
He also appreciated the Karnataka voters for rejecting the forces propagating hate.
He said that if Congress had taken a strong stand against communalism 75 years ago, it would not have been ousted from power and the country would not have reached the brink of destruction.
To explain how communalism has strengthened its roots in these 75 years, Maulana Madani mentioned a meeting he had with Rahul Gandhi when the Congress was in power, and educated Muslim youth were being arrested in terrorism cases. When he met Rahul Gandhi on this issue, he directed the then Minister of State for Home Affairs to resolve this issue. The said Minister took a serious interest in the matter and assured to resolve it, but after two months, the Minister was dismissed, and the case file was closed forever.
Maulana Madani said that from this incident, it can be understood that to what extent the poison of sectarianism has been embedded in the veins of the country. He said neither the constitution nor the constitutional institutions are safe in the hands of sectarian forces.
“There is a conspiracy to take away the religious freedom of the citizens by introducing a uniform civil code. Efforts to promote Hindu revivalism have started under the guise of the new national education policy. Jamiat Ulama Hind strongly opposes it, and a resolution on it has also been passed in the meeting of the General Body of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind,” Maulana Madani said..
He said that the truth is that the entire country has been turned into a police state by creating an atmosphere of fear. But sectarianism has yet not been able to destroy national integrity, religious unity and mutual love. The people of Karnataka have given proof of this. But some people are still under the illusion that the politics of hatred can only preserve their power.
He said that hatred cannot be defeated by hatred but by love. This is our country, for which our elders have made enormous sacrifices, so the responsibility for its development and prosperity is also placed on us.
Among those who attended the conference were Mufti Syed Masoom Saqib, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Dariyabadi, Maulana Syed Asjad Madani, Vice President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Akhlad Rashidi from Madinah Munawwarah, Maulana Ashhad Rashidi, and President of Jamiat Ulama UP.
Presidents and general secretaries of all state units of Jamiat Ulama and the members of Jamiat Ulama General body were also present. Apart from this, Mumbra MLA Jitendra Awahad and General Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Mumbai, also addressed the conference.
Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi, general secretary of Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra and General Secretary Jamiat Ulama Hind jointly performed the duties of announcer.
