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.
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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.
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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