Several states have already opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2024, expected to be tabled in Parliament's next session.
Published Mar 28, 2025 | 7:13 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 28, 2025 | 7:13 PM
Muslims were seen wearing black armbands in a silent and peaceful expression of grief and protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. (X)
Synopsis: Responding to the AIMPLB’s call to express their “grief and protest” against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Muslims across Indian cities wore black armbands while offering namaz on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan.
Muslims across cities in India wore black armbands while offering namaz on Jumu’atul Wida, the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan on 28 March.
They wore black armbands in response to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)’s call for a peaceful protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Urging Muslims to protest the Bill, the AIMPLB on Thursday, 27 March, said in a statement that “The Waqf Amendment Bill is a sinister conspiracy aimed at depriving Muslims of their mosques, eidgahs, madrasas, dargahs, khanqahs, graveyards, and charitable institutions”.
It added that if the Bill was passed, such institutions would be taken away, and urged Muslims to wear black armbands to mosques “as a silent and peaceful expression of grief and protest”.
The AIMPLB is also organising a “massive” protest in Vijayawada on Saturday, 29 March.
In Hyderabad, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill, joined the protest by wearing a black armband while offering prayers.
The Jalsa Youm-ul-Quran, an annual Ramzan address by Owaisi at Mecca Masjid, was relocated at the last minute to Wazir Ali Masjid after authorities denied permission due to the election code of conduct.
Police intervened when some protesters displayed banners against the Bill near Hyderabad’s Makkah Masjid. Security was heightened with around 1,300 police personnel deployed, supported by the City Armed Reserve, Rapid Action Force, and the Commissioner’s Task Force.
Owaisi termed the Bill “black law”.
“We have tied this black ribbon on our arms against the Waqf Bill. Narendra Modi is shooting us in the chest with this Bill. He is shooting at our mosques and Imams. If only a Hindu can be a member of a Hindu temple, how can a non-Muslim be a member (of the Waqf governing body),” he asked.
“If someone encroached the land given in the name of Allah, Modi says that after 12 years it belongs to the encroacher,” he said.
“You just want to take away the rights of the Muslims. Hindutva wants to make sure we cannot follow our religion. This is a black law.”
“The media will again play this up and say that Asaduddin said this and that. I want to ask them, if the government says your Noida offices don’t belong to you, will you wear bangles and keep mum,” he asked.
“Waqf is not the property of the government. Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, and others must remember that we will never forgive them for this. You are giving the BJP permission to attack our religion. If you say this Bill shouldn’t come it won’t,” he added.
In Bengaluru, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad urged all religious communities to fight against the Bill, which he termed “injustice done by the (central) government”.
Arshad said the BJP and the Modi government were working to break the unity among the people of India.
“The Waqf Amendment Bill by the central government is one such example. Waqf board was created by our ancestors for the welfare and benefit of the Muslim community. This is a strategy by the Modi Government to destroy the Waqf and target Muslims,” he said.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly had adopted a resolution on 19 March, rejecting the proposed Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Kerala passed a resolution on 14 October last, urging the Union government to withdraw the proposed Bill.
Tamil Nadu passed a resolution against the Bill on Thursday, despite opposition by the AIADMK.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay demanded the Centre to withdraw the Bill. He was addressing the party’s first general council meeting in Chennai on Friday.
Muslim League MPs from Kerala, too, joined the protest, wearing black armbands.
MPs ET Muhammad Basheer, MP Abdussamad Samadani, PV Abdul Wahab, and Harris Biran participated in the protest.
Meanwhile, CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M) MP John Brittas voiced their opposition to the Bill. Brittas accused the BJP government of attempting to polarise society through its legislative actions. Sandosh said that the opposition to the Bill was not about religion but about protecting India’s secularism.
At various places including Malappuram and Kozhikode, several Muslims were seen wearing black armbands while attending the prayers.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced in the next session of Parliament. The Union government had incorporated to the Bill the recommendations made by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
The Bill seeks to amend the law governing Waqf boards and has proposed far-reaching changes in the present Act, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.
It also aims at renaming the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.
