JEDDAH, 7 February 2005 — There was only one personal law board for Muslims in India and now there are at least three. This has angered many Muslims and Mohammed Adeeb, president of the New Delhi-based All-India Minority Coordination Board (AIMCB), is one of them.
“I’m upset,” he told Arab News here referring to the newly formed separate boards by Shiites and women’s groups.
The formation of All-India Muslim Khawateen’s Personal Law Board was announced by a group of Muslim women in Lucknow on Thursday.
Earlier, a new All-India Shia Law Board was announced. Until then, only the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), headed by Maulana Rabey Nadwi, was considered to be the highest law-making body of Muslims in the country, which for more than four decades enjoyed a monopoly voice on issues and rights pertaining to India’s largest minority.
Adeeb regretted that a body that was supposed to be the voice of the community has become a political interest group. “The AIMPLB is a religious platform and by forming two other boards, it has been converted into a political one. The trend is dangerous for the community,” said Adeeb on the eve of his return home after the Haj pilgrimage. “The significance of the religious body has been negated by these developments,” he said, adding that the new boards might work against the tenets of Islam.
Adeeb, who claims his AIMCB joined the secular Congress party at the behest of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, said the last federal parliamentary election in which the Congress-led UPA coalition defeated its BJP-led NDA counterpart was the right outcome in the interest of India’s secularism.
“The Hindu BJP had to bite the dust at the polls not because Muslims voted for the Congress. The fact was mostly secular Hindus were disillusioned by the way BJP functioned while in government,” he said, adding that India’s future lies in secularism and so all must support secular parties.
“We (Muslims) are proud to be in India, as a majority of Hindus are secular,” he added.
About the Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir issue, Adeeb said he did not expect it to be solved by discussion or negotiation. “Both sides have stuck to their positions and there can be no meeting point on which to negotiate. The issue is already in court and so let’s wait for the court verdict,” he said.
Adeeb said his interaction with some Pakistani and other pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage had been a revelation. “I understand that the Indian pilgrim spends less than half of what his Pakistani counterpart does. The cost per Indian pilgrim comes to around 50,000 rupees, thanks to the Indian government’s liberal financial support,” he added.
Adeeb, who was elected unopposed for two years each as president and vice president of the Aligarh Muslim University Union in the 1960s, said he was also disappointed that the AMU alumni body here was divided.
“AMU is an institution where luminaries like former Indian President Zakir Hussain were elected unopposed as presidents of its union. There ought to be one alumni association, which is what will justify the spirit, ethos and constitution of AMU,” he explained.
