Uniform Civil Code And The Circumspect Leadership Of Muslims

By Zafar Agha Translated from Hindi by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 10 July 2023 Muslim Leadership Has Finally Shown Common Sense, Addressing The Uniform Civil Code With Patience Main Point 1. The President Of A Muslim Organization Forbade The Muslim Community From Protesting The Uniform Civil Code Alone. He Believes Every Religion Has A Direct Stake In The Issue, And Muslims Should Not Protest Alone On The Streets. This Change Is Startling And Significant. ----- It is unknown if wisdom came overnight or if circumstances made it necessary. But given that this change has been observed for the first time in almost three decades, it is unquestionably startling. Here we are talking about an important statement made by the president of a sizable Muslim organization. In a crucial remark just a few days ago, he forbade the Muslim community from taking to the streets by themselves to protest the Uniform Civil Code. In his view, every religion has a direct stake in the issue of the "Uniform Civil Code." That is why Muslims shouldn't protest this issue alone on the streets. Even more astounding was the fact that, shortly after the statement made by the Islamic guru, the Muslim Personal Law Board immediately adopted almost the same position on the Uniform Civil Code. The Muslim Personal Law Board made the decision to oppose the Uniform Civil Code but not to demonstrate in public over the matter. This decision of the Muslim Personal Law Board was the first in nearly 30 years to exhort the Muslim community to work consciously rather than enthusiastically. The truth is that everyone—whether they are members of a board or another Muslim organization—has been acting impulsively and without much thinking regarding all matters relating to Islam and Muslims. The so-called Muslim leadership was unaware that the only tactic of Hindutva forces is to first surround Muslim society with religious issues in order to make them feel as though "Islam is in danger," which prompts them to become emotional and take to the streets while yelling religious slogans like "Nara-E-Takbeer." The moment it occurs, the Sangh troops are victorious. Whether it was the Shah Bano controversy in 1985 or the debate over building the Ram temple after the lock of the Babri Masjid was opened in 1986. If you examine the Muslim Tehreeks (Muslim movements) from that point on till Narendra Modi came to power, it becomes evident that the strategy of the Muslim leadership over the past three decades has only served to bolster Hindutva forces while Muslim community as a whole has remained at a loss. Whether it was the Triple Talaq debate or the Babri Masjid problem, I watched intently as the Muslim community held both times sizable rallies. Muslim leaders were willing to "sacrifice their lives" to keep these two safe. When the leadership speaks in such a manner, it is obvious that the ardent Muslim mob will grow irate. Slogans like “Nara-E-Takbeer”, “Allahu Akbar”, and “Le Ke Rahenge Babri Masjid” used to reverberate throughout Muslim gatherings. We've heard that slogans like "Lekar Rahenge Pakistan" were shouted during the 1947 Pakistan Tehreek. What happened as a result of that? The Indian Muslim community is still carrying the weight of Pakistan. Similar events occurred in the Babri Masjid controversy. After the Muslims initially came out with emotional slogans, the Hindu community also came out by chanting "Jai Shri Ram" in support of the building of the Ram Mandir. Everyone is aware of the outcome. The bottom line is that as a result of such emotive Muslim politics, only Muslim society suffered losses, while Hindutva forces not only grew stronger over the last ten years but also came dangerously close to transforming India into a Hindu Rashtra. In truth, the BJP's tactic has been to provoke the Muslim population on religious matters, causing them to rush to the streets out of emotion. It is obvious that when the Muslim community talks of giving their lives to protect the Babri Masjid, the Hindu community will perceive Muslims as their rivals and enemies. In this method alone, the Sangh was able to portray Muslims as the enemy of Hindu society. By making mistakes, the Muslim leadership provided the Hindu "enemy" that the Sangh needed to make its politics flourish. Truth be told, the Shah Bano Incident, Triple Talaq, and the Babri Masjid agitation succeeded in what the 1947 country-wide division failed to do for the Sangh. What exactly then? By adopting the persona of a defender of Hinduism, BJP rose to become the largest force in the nation. This is how the issue has spread throughout the Hindu nation since 1985. When a society gets beaten up for a long time, its eyes also start opening. After Narendra Modi came to power in the year 2014, the society started to become aware of the plight of the Muslim society. It was now obvious that the Muslim would be nowhere if he continued his fervent street tactics. In light of the harm done to society by such leadership in the Babri Masjid and Triple Talaq crises, the emotional leadership (of which a large number of religious Ulama were a part) began to lose ground in society. The Muslim community is now reluctant to take such leadership, which is why. Less intelligent than leaders are the people. After seeing the tone of society, the same leadership has started to dress differently and advise the Muslim community to remain off the streets. Whatever the case, the Muslim leadership has finally spoken with some common sense, which is welcome given that emotional Muslim politics have done much harm to both the nation and the Muslim community. The Muslim society now only has two options: patience and restraint, regardless of whether the subject is the Uniform Civil Code or any other Muslim religious issue. This was initially comprehended by the Muslim crowd. The leadership has now started to change as a result of the same pressure. ------ Hindi Article: यूनीफार्म सिविल कोड और मुस्लिम नेतृत्व का सतर्क रवैया Urdu Article: یکساں سول کوڈ اور مسلم قیادت کا محتاط رویہ URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/uniform-civil-code-ucc-muslims/d/130173 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism