Days after the Muslim community in India strongly objected to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as impractical and wrong, it has moved to issue a helpline number for Muslims amid the ongoing debate. The helpline number has been issued by Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal, Uttar Pradesh who stated that all the answers related to Qurbani, Haj, Umrah and more would be provided to the community through the helpline numbers.
According to the Zee News report, Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal has said that all queries of the Muslim community will be answered via the helpline numbers (9335929670, 7007705774). The queries raised on the helpline numbers which are to be active from June 20 to July 2 will be answered by Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali from 2 pm to 4 pm daily.
This is believed to be part of a novel campaign that has been launched by the community in Uttarakhand amidst the debate on the Uniform Civil Code and Love Jihad. However, it is not clear whether the helpline would answer only religious issues or other queries will also be answered by the Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali who is the chairman of the Islamic Centre of India and also a member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
Earlier, several Muslim clerics and leaders of various Islamic organizations have said that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is impractical in a country like India which has a number of religious minorities, each with its own way of life.
“For the past many years, the issue of the Uniform Civil Code is being raised by politicians just before the elections. This time again, the issue has come up before elections. I have always stated that the UCC is not only going to affect Muslims but also Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Jews, Parsis, and other minuscule minorities living in the country. Every community has a different way of praying, performing rituals and ceremonies like marriage. So, to some extent, personal life is different. The freedom to practice one’s own faith and way of life is granted by the Constitution,” Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali had said.
Also on June 17, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) raised serious objections to the idea of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country. The Law Commission has recently invited suggestions from the public regarding the long-promised law. However, according to AIMPLB, this is a waste of resources.
VIDEO | "The BJP wants to use Uniform Civil Code as an issue in the upcoming (Lok Sabha) elections. As far as UCC is concerned, neither it is required nor it is useful for the country," says AIMPLB spokesperson SQR Ilyas. pic.twitter.com/Z7EPANewfi
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 16, 2023
Notably, the UCC calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption. It has been an essential part of the election manifesto of the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party government over the past many years.
The AIMPLB organization termed the UCC unnecessary and described it as impractical and dangerous. Its spokesperson Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas stated that the country’s diversity is its identity and it should not be tampered with
The president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, also voiced his discontent against the idea of UCC and the destruction of unauthorized or illegal Mazars (Islamic shrines). He declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party should first destroy temples before discussing Muslim shrines.
He added that the government shouldn’t put their patience to the test and threatened reaction against the action. He alleged that a plot is underway to repeat the demolition drive presently underway in Uttarakhand, across the whole country. He announced that if the bulldozers continue to destroy illegal shrines, Muslims will reach the state to demonstrate against the government.
Also, Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Shafiqur Rahman Barq, opposed the move of the Law Commission seeking fresh public opinion on UCC and said that it would only spread hatred in the country.
