Unconstitutional & Unjust - Defending Our Faith, Our Lands, Our Rights
- 7th April, 2025 :: United Meitei-Pangal Committee (UMPC) Manipur -

*

The United Meitei-Pangal Committee (UMPC), Manipur expresses deep concern, strong rejection, and absolute protest against the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was approved by both Houses of Parliament and has received Presidential assent.

We believe the Bill poses a direct threat to the autonomy, spiritual sanctity, and constitutional rights of Indian Muslims, particularly minority sub-communities like the Meitei-Pangal Muslims of Manipur. Our objections are grounded in the following points:

1. Undermining Community Autonomy

The original Waqf Act recognized waqf properties as sacred trusts meant for religious, educational, and charitable purposes. These properties are created by Muslims in accordance with Islamic Shariah. However, the amendment gives overreaching control to state authorities, effectively curbing the management rights of local Muslim communities and Waqf Boards. This undermines centuries of religious practice and communal governance.

2. Violation of Religious Freedom (Article 26 of the Constitution)

Article 26 of the Indian Constitution guarantees religious denominations the right to manage their own affairs in matters of religion. The 2024 Amendment violates this by allowing non-Muslim government officials to interfere in the administration and even the dissolution or repurposing of waqf properties. This is unconstitutional and disrespectful to the sacred Islamic institution of waqf.

3. Opens Doors to Land Encroachment and Exploitation

The amendment simplifies the acquisition of waqf lands for "public purpose," without due process or proper consent from the waqf board. This raises serious concerns, especially in conflict-sensitive and minority-populated regions like Manipur, where waqf lands are few and sacred. Such laws expose these lands to political, corporate, and communal exploitation.

4. Marginalization of Small Muslim Communities like Meitei-Pangals

The Meitei-Pangal community in Manipur is already socially, politically, and economically marginalized. Waqf lands are crucial for our survival - supporting mosques, madrasas, orphanages, and burial grounds. This amendment could enable the seizure or mismanagement of these limited resources, leading to further displacement, disempowerment, and cultural erasure of our minority identity.

5. Absence of Consultation with the Muslim Community

A Bill of such sensitivity was passed without any inclusive or democratic consultation with Muslim scholars, Waqf Board representatives, or civil society organizations. This top-down approach breaches the principle of participatory democracy, especially in matters affecting the religious rights of a large and diverse community.

6. A Precedent for Future Interference in Muslim Personal Law

We see this amendment as a precursor to more legislative encroachments on Islamic institutions in India, including personal laws, madrasa education, and mosque management. It sets a dangerous precedent where religious endowments can be redefined, repurposed, or even revoked under state direction.

Our Stand

o The UMPC categorically rejects the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
o We demand its immediate repeal or thorough reconsideration in consultation with national and regional Muslim representatives.
o We urge all secular-minded individuals, organizations, and political parties to join hands in defending minority rights and the sanctity of religious institutions.
o We call on the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Waqf Boards, and human rights organizations to initiate legal and civil action against this undemocratic legislation.

The sanctity of waqf is not merely a legal matter - it is a sacred trust, deeply rooted in our faith, our heritage, and our collective conscience as a community. For centuries, waqf institutions have served as lifelines for education, worship, welfare, and justice in Muslim societies. To undermine them is to strike at the very heart of our religious and cultural identity.

The United Meitei-Pangal Committee (UMPC) stands united with Muslim communities across India in asserting that such decisions cannot and must not be made without our voice, our consent, and our participation. We will continue to raise our voice peacefully, lawfully, but unwaveringly, until the dignity, autonomy, and spiritual integrity of our waqf institutions are fully restored and respected.

In this spirit, UMPC Manipur urgently calls upon all the 703 (approx.) Mohallas, Ulema bodies, Madrasas, State and District-level Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), local clubs, unions, associations, and forums across Manipur to organize protest rallies in your respective areas or suitable public spaces within this week. Let the voices of the people echo from every corner of the state - loud, clear, and united against this unjust law.

We appeal to all citizens of conscience, religious leaders, and human rights defenders to join us in resisting this injustice - not just for Muslims, but for the principles of justice, pluralism, and constitutional morality that define our nation.

Raees Ahamed Tampak
General Secretary
United Meitei-Pangal Committee (UMPC), Manipur