JIH Launches Nationwide Awareness Campaign on Muslim Personal Laws

JIH Launches Nationwide Awareness Campaign on Muslim Personal Laws

Udupi: “In wake of recent aggressive media debates and political interventions on matters of Islamic Shariah, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has launched a countrywide awareness campaign on Muslim Personal Law from 23 April till 7 May 2017”, said Humaira, the convener of Udupi district women’s wing. She was speaking at a press meet held at the press club here on Tuesday, April 25.

Addressing the mediapersons Humaira said, “Today a large segment of the Muslim society suffers from ignorance about Islamic family laws and many in the community do not follow all the laws in their true letter and spirit. Courts of the land often pass judgments contrary to the position of Islamic Shariat on disputes related to Muslim Personal Law (MPL) and then these judgments become legal precedents. Legislative bodies also interfere in MPL while the media portrays a one-sided image of MPL. However the judiciary, lawmakers and the media are seldom aware of real teachings of Islam; rather they are usually misled by the faulty conduct of Muslims themselves, which presents a distorted image of the Islamic law”

She further said, “The Shariat Application Act was enacted in 1937 on the insistence of the Muslim community. According to it, disputes about family matters between parties, both of which are Muslims, would be decided according to Shariat, irrespective of local custom or practice. Family matters include marriage, divorce, dissolution of marriage, inheritance and the like. After independence from British rule, the Indian Constitution continued to recognize the legal status of Shariat because it counted freedom of religion and conscience among fundamental rights given in Chapter 3. Freedom of religion obviously implies the freedom to follow Muslim Personal Law, because the latter is derived from the Qur’ān and Sunnah themselves. No individual or group has the authority to amend the Divine law. Indeed Muslims are required by their faith to be aware of divine instructions about family matters. Besides personal commitment, Muslims are also required to resist any attempt from any quarter to change the Muslim personal law or dilute or abolish it. Muslims must assert their natural right to follow the religion of their choice”.

“Right since independence, Muslims of India have clearly stated that they reject the idea of the uniform civil code. They have opposed all attempts by courts or legislative bodies to interfere in Muslim personal law. But Muslims have not been equally vigilant on the internal front. Adequate efforts have not been made by them to educate the Muslim masses about Islamic teachings and to undertake reform of the Muslim society, in order to eliminate the violation of Shariat. It must be recognized that the primary reason for violation of Shariat is large-scale ignorance of Muslim masses and lack of sincere commitment to Islamic norms. A large segment of Muslim society does not even know the basics of Islam. Many Muslims do not know the rules and instructions which would guide them in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance and the like. Hence, there is an imperative need to educate, uplift and morally reform the Muslim society, as a whole”, she stressed.

“Equipping Muslims with authentic knowledge about Islam and their moral upliftment are the primary steps. The larger Indian society should then be addressed by Muslims. The principles, objectives, and values of Islamic Shariat and its legal rulings should be explained to all in a language which may be understood by our countrymen. They should realize that Islamic law promotes ethical growth, justice, equity, well-being, and balance. It has the potential to create a healthy family which is a basic prerequisite for survival of society. The Muslim law protects the honor and dignity of women; it restores their human rights and ensures sensible liberty for them. It is expected that when the Indian public opinion is properly educated about the beauty of Islamic law, it will not be deceived by the ill-conceived notion of uniform civil code. Jamaat-e- Islami Hind appeals to all sincere persons to participate in its comprehensive campaign for reforming the Muslim society and for educating the people of our country at large”, she said.

She also said, “During the fortnight-long campaign, Jamaat will reach out to both Muslim masses and fellow countrymen in order to remove their ignorance and misconceptions about Muslim Personal Law and teachings of Islam on family issues like marriage and divorce etc”.

Shahida Riyaz – Women’s Wing Organizer. Udupi Unit, Kulsoom Abubakar – Member Udupi Unit, and Udupi were present in the press meet.