The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has directed nationwide Muslims to wear black armbands during Ramzan’s final Friday prayers (Alvida Jumma Namaz) on 28th March to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024. The official letter was released on 27th March. It read, “Alhamdulillah, the strong protests by Muslims at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Dharna Sthal in Patna have at least caused a stir among BJP’s (Bharatiya Janata Party) allied parties. Now, a massive protest is also scheduled to take place in Vijayawada on March 29, 2025.”
An Important Appeal to the Muslims of India
— All India Muslim Personal Law Board (@AIMPLB_Official) March 27, 2025
Wear a Black Armband on Jumu’atul Wida to Protest against Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.#IndiaAgainstWaqfBill#RejectWaqfBill #SayNoToWaqfBill pic.twitter.com/auwKL9quxi
The board referred to the bill as “a sinister conspiracy aimed at depriving Muslims of their mosques, eidgahs, madrasas, dargahs, khanqahs, graveyards and charitable institutions.” It even threatened that if the bill is passed, the same would be seized from their authority. “Therefore, it is the responsibility of every Muslim in the country to strongly oppose this bill. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board appeals to all Muslims to wear a black armband while coming to the mosque on Jumu’atul Wida as a silent and peaceful expression of grief and protest,” the letter urged. It was signed by AIMPLB’s president Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani and its general secretary Maulana Muhammad Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi.
The action followed a call for protests in Patna, Bihar and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, by the board which has prominent Muslim clerics, academics and professionals. AIMPLB office-bearers and members, including Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief (AIMIM) Asaduddin Owaisi joined in a demonstration at Jantar Mantar and criticised the bill.
The 31-member AIMPLB Action Committee has decided to resist the bill through every constitutional, legal and democratic method possible. According to a statement released by the board, major rallies are planned in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Malerkotla (Punjab) and Ranchi. The Tamil Nadu assembly already adopted a motion rejecting the bill as chief minister MK Stalin alleged that it discriminates against Muslims.
The AIMPLB’s announcement came after the submission of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill report by the joint committee of Parliament. The proposed law has not yet been listed, but there is speculation that it could be introduced for passage in Parliament during the current Budget Session.
The bill’s 31-member group recommended a number of changes to the draft legislation following several hearings and sessions. On 30th January, the 655-page report was delivered to Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha. It has also been presented in the upper house in February.
With a vote of 15-11 in favor, the joint committee approved the report that included modifications recommended by the ruling BJP. The 1995 Waqf Act, which regulates Waqf holdings, has repeatedly come under fire for unauthorized occupations including government and private properties and even temple lands, corruption and poor property management.
