Waqf Bill interference in religious matters, govt using Muslims as polarising agents: Mirwaiz

Srinagar, Aug 9 (PTI) Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday expressed concerns over the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act, describing those as “interference in religious matters” and alleged that the government was using Muslims as “polarising agents for electoral purposes”.

Addressing the Friday congregation at the historic Jamia Masjid here, he said the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament has caused “great anguish and concern for the Muslims in India and naturally in Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on Thursday and referred to a joint parliamentary panel after a heated debate, with the government asserting the proposed law did not intend to interfere with the functioning of mosques and the opposition calling it targeting of Muslims and an attack on the Constitution.

The Mirwaiz said, “Many controversial provisions have been proposed, including changing the composition of the board. Non-Muslims will now be made part of the board and a non-Muslim can even be made the CEO of the board which is a direct interference in religious matters.”

In the proposed Bill, a district collector can make the decision in the case of a dispute on the final status of the Waqf land — whether it is Waqf property or government land, he claimed.

“Since this government come to power, many disputes have been raked up about mosques, and till the dispute is settled the land will be deemed to be government land,” he added.

Hundreds of Waqf mosques in Jammu and Kashmir are centuries old and some do not have documents to prove it, the Mirwaiz said and claimed “All of those will then be deemed to be on government land.”

“Unfortunately, the agenda of this government seems to persist in disempowering Muslims and using them as polarising agents for electoral purposes,” he said.

“As Muslims, we need to remain alert about these tactics and safeguard our interests as much as we can. If the government goes ahead with this discriminatory law, it will be resisted by the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.