States » WestPosted at: Sep 22 2026 6:57PM


Maha: Muslim activists oppose Save India Save Shariat Campaign, call for focus on gender justice & equality

Mumbai, Sep 22 (UNI) Muslim activists, intellectuals and women’s rights advocates have opposed the nationwide Save India Save Shariat campaign launched by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, arguing that the campaign could contribute to political polarisation and that reforms concerning Muslim personal law should focus on gender justice, equality and human rights.
The opposition was expressed in a statement initiated jointly by Javed Anand and Feroze Mithiborwala of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Safia Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Shamsuddin Tamboli of Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal and Bader Sayeed of Roshni. The statement was also signed by several activists, academics, writers, artists, journalists and social workers, including Naseeruddin Shah, Zeenat Shaukat Ali, Sultan Shaheen, Teesta Setalvad, Ram Puniyani, Tushar Gandhi, Amol Palekar, Mallika Sarabhai, Ratna Pathak and others.
The signatories described the Save India Save Shariat campaign as ill conceived and said it could provide political advantages to forces seeking to intensify communal polarisation. They referred to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Save the Constitution campaign launched by civil society groups and opposition parties, and argued that the AIMPLB campaign could allow the BJP and Sangh Parivar to project themselves as defenders of constitutional values. The statement further claimed that the campaign could reinforce narratives suggesting that Indian Muslims reject the law of the land.
The statement also criticised what its signatories described as patriarchal interpretations of Muslim personal law. They argued that laws presented as God given Shariat law in India are in practice personal laws interpreted by men and defended by the AIMPLB. Referring to the Board’s September 2016 affidavit in the Supreme Court triple talaq case involving Shayara Bano, the statement cited arguments concerning the decision making powers of husbands and the need for a quick separation option. The signatories said such arguments amounted to a disturbing rationalisation of domestic violence. They also referred to the AIMPLB’s assertion in its affidavit that India is a patriarchal society and that personal laws of communities are aligned with patriarchal notions.
On constitutional provisions, the signatories accused the AIMPLB of selectively invoking Articles 25 to 30 concerning religious freedom while overlooking the limitations relating to public order, morality and health. They also pointed to Articles 14 and 15, which provide for equality before the law and prohibit discrimination on grounds including sex and religion.
The statement cited Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Morocco as examples of Muslim majority countries that have codified or reformed personal laws with measures aimed at protecting women’s rights. It also noted that millions of Muslims live in secular democratic countries with uniform family codes. The signatories argued that Muslim personal law in India should be proactively reformed and codified rather than treated as beyond reform.
Calling for greater protection of Muslim women’s rights, the statement said family law reform should address issues including minimum marriage age, abolition of polygamy, mutual divorce, equal inheritance, child custody, adoption, a ban on female genital mutilation and halala. The signatories also criticised what they described as political exploitation of the Uniform Civil Code debate, saying that while mainstream political parties often ignore the civil rights concerns of Muslim women, the Hindu Right uses the issue for communal polarisation.
The statement further criticised the BJP and Sangh Parivar, alleging that their support for Muslim women’s rights was motivated by communal polarisation. It accused the Hindu Right of simultaneously ignoring what the signatories described as hate speech and hate crimes, including mob lynching, demolition of homes and masjids and economic boycotts. It also referred to issues including the Waqf Amendment Act, anti conversion laws and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, alleging that these measures target Muslims. These are claims made in the statement and were not independently established in the document.
The signatories also argued that the focus on saving Shariat overlooks the everyday problems faced by sections of the Indian Muslim population, including socio economic marginalisation, security, education and employment. They called upon ulema to give greater attention to these issues instead of what they described as retrogressive norms.
The statement called on progressive organisations, civil society groups and secular political parties to intervene in the debate over a Uniform Civil Code. The signatories said any demand for a gender just and religion neutral UCC should be based on equality and human rights and should not be used as an instrument for communal division.
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