Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has said that the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 is an attempt to divide society along religious lines and target a particular community.
Addressing the media at the monthly press conference today, JIH Vice President Prof. Salim Engineer talked on various current issues related to the farmers’ agitation, Babri Masjid and corruption in the country.
When asked about the recent legislation of the Uttar Pradesh government related to inter-religious marriages, the JIH Vice President said: “The ordinance goes against the spirit of our Constitution. It endangers the freedom of conscience and the right to profess practice and propagate religion. It is condemnable and an attempt to divide society along religious lines and target a particular community. The slur of “love-jihad” given to this fictitious narrative of Muslims boys going after Hindu girls is highly condemnable. It is also an insult to the women of our country, who are perceived to be mere gullible victims that are “allured” to stray away from the fold of their clan and community”.
Speaking on farmers’ agitation, Prof. Salim Engineer said: “the Jamaat stands firmly with the farmers. The three laws that deal with MSP, contract farming and essential commodities were passed in Parliament without consultation and by overlooking parliamentary norms. They are part of a larger scheme of things in which the agricultural ecosystem of India is being modified for the benefit of corporates and multinationals. The government is discarding its basic responsibilities in the fields of primary and higher education, healthcare, infrastructure maintenance and handing them to corporates and multinationals.”
The issue of corruption was also raised in the press conference over the report of Transparency International that has placed India on the top of the list of countries in Asia in terms of offering bribery and using personal relations for getting their work done. The Jamaat Vice President pointed out: “It is very embarrassing for our nation to be in such a situation. We feel that this is a result of the decline of moral values and the absence of accountability before one’s Creator in the hereafter. We should rebuild society based on piety and righteousness. The state too has to play its role by ensuring rigorous processes to prevent bribery as well as giving strict punishment to those found guilty of corruption.”
Speaking on 6th December 2020, which marks the 28 years to the Babri Masjid demolition, Prof. Salim Engineer said, “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind along with all the justice-loving people of the world consider it a dark day in the history of our nation and one that caused grievous and irreparable damage to India’s democracy and secular ethos. The Muslim community along with a large number of fellow citizens was deeply offended and had to bear the brunt of the communal riots that followed the demolition. Unfortunately, both the state and the judiciary failed to undo the historic wrong perpetuated by the communalists and assuage the sentiments of the community. One more incident that did not bring glory to our justice system was the acquittal of all those indicted for conspiracy to bring down the Babri Masjid.”
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Rushda Fathima Khan is the Staff Reporter for The Cognate.
