Hyderabad: Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has declared strong opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and supported the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s (AIMPLB) call for a nationwide protest against the proposed law. The AIMPLB, representing Muslim clerics, has labeled the bill as a breach of constitutional rights threatening the autonomy of Muslim Waqf institutions that manage community endowments.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Owaisi, during a meeting in Mehboobnagar, Telangana, criticized the bill as a significant threat to constitutional freedoms. He highlighted the AIMPLB’s role in spearheading the protests and their efforts to educate the public on the bill’s perceived constitutional violations.

The AIMPLB has vehemently opposed the bill, condemning it as a conspiratorial attempt to undermine the religious and cultural independence of the Muslim community. They demand its immediate withdrawal, asserting that it compromises the autonomy of Waqf institutions that handle charitable properties for the community’s benefit.

Introduced in the budget session of Parliament by the Modi government, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has faced extensive backlash, prompting its referral to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed scrutiny. The JPC, which met for the second time on August 30 at the Parliament House Annexe, has been gathering feedback from various Muslim organizations including the All India Sunni Jamiyatul Ulama in Mumbai and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board. These groups have raised concerns about specific clauses of the bill that they believe inappropriately entangle government with religious practices.

Critics argue that the bill seeks to increase governmental oversight over Waqf assets, potentially reducing the influence of Muslim organizations on their religious and cultural heritage.