In a recent programme organised in Mumbai’s Kurla, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is against Islam. Speaking at the annual conference of Shikalgar Jamaat Trust, Azmi advised Muslims to ensure they have all their valid government documents ready.
The Samajwadi Party leader said that Muslims should get their names registered in the voter list and also ensure whether their name is included in the voter list or not.
“We [Muslims] should make sure that there no discrepancies and spelling mistakes in our birth certificates and identity cards… We all should check our names in the voter list to save the constitution of this country,” Azmi said adding that every Muslim must cast their vote to uphold ‘secularism’ in the country.
The Mankhurd Shivajinagar MLA resorted to fearmongering among Muslims against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“…In 1947, Mohammad Ali Jinnah had given the Muslims a choice to move to Pakistan, but Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad said that if you Muslims will leave this country [India], then lakhs of mosques will be deserted. No one will be left to give Azaan…and then Muslims decided to stay back. But those who were traitors of this country at that time are now using CAA-NRC to expel us [Muslims] from this country. Those who licked the feet of Britishers are sitting in power today and testing our patience. They are demanding certificates from us…” Azmi said.
He further talked about how the Muslims vehemently protested against CAA-NRC back in 2020. Azmi said that people from all the corners of the country had come together. “Our Muslim sisters had strongly protested against it…if they [the government] try to bring it again then Muslims will gather to protest against it this time as well. This country is not anyone’s ‘Jaageer’ (estate)…” the Samajwadi Party leader said.
Moreover, Abu Azmi asserted that the government wants to ‘change’ the “constitution” of Islam as he said, “1400 years ago a constitution of Islam was formulated but the government wants to make amendments even in that…that you will have to marry according to our laws, have to divide your properties as per the laws made by the government. What shall we do? Shout we follow the government’s Uniform Civil Code or the teachings of the Quran Sharif and Allah…the situation is deteriorating in the country and Muslims are worried.
The Samajwadi leader went on to raise questions over the Supreme Court verdict in the Babri. He said that even though the court acknowledged that the placement of the Ram Lalla idol in 1949 at the Janmabhoomi site and the Babri structure demolition in 1992 was a criminal act, the court gave the decision in favour of Hindus saying that the “majority community wants a Temple to be constructed there”. He emphasised that Muslims should focus on receiving education and becoming officers to make ‘right’ decisions since the country is run by IAS, IRS and not politicians.
Abu Azmi, however, conveniently ignored the fact that the Hindu side presented numerous scriptural evidence to back its claim that the mosque was erected after demolishing a Hindu Temple in Ayodhya. Moreover, the Supreme Court determined that the ASI report contained sufficient evidence to conclude that the Babri Masjid was not built on vacant ground. There was a structure that supported the disputed construction. The Supreme Court had stated that the underlying structure was not Islamic.
The apex court had stated that the ASI abstained from recording a finding on whether the mosque was built after demolishing a Hindu temple, and that title cannot be determined only based on the Archaeological Survey of India’s expert report. The title to the land should be determined according to established legal principles. While the Muslim side failed to provide evidence to show possessory title, the Hindu side established unimpeded possession of the outer courtyard.
Thus, ending the five-century-long dispute with a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court allowed the entire 2.77-acre disputed site for the construction of a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Ram Lalla, one of the three claimants in the case.