India Passes Bill Reforming Muslim Land Ownership

India Passes Bill Reforming Muslim Land Ownership

India’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday aimed at reforming the vast land-holding organizations of the Muslim community, with the Hindu nationalist government arguing that it will enhance accountability. However, the opposition has criticized the legislation as an “attack” on the minority Muslim population…READ MORE….

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The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserts that the bill will increase transparency and oversight over the Waqf boards—institutions that manage properties donated by Muslim charitable endowments. These Waqf boards collectively control nearly 900,000 acres (365,000 hectares) of land, making them among the largest landowners in India, rivaling entities such as the railways and defense forces.

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Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who introduced the bill, stated that it would address issues of corruption and mismanagement while reducing the influence of entrenched groups. The bill passed the lower house of parliament after a lengthy debate and is expected to gain approval from the upper house later on Thursday. If approved, the bill will grant greater powers to civil servants overseeing the Waqf boards.

Amit Shah, India’s Interior Minister and a close ally of Modi, emphasized that the reforms would help identify those leasing out properties for personal gain. He claimed that these funds, which could benefit minority communities, are being misappropriated.

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Under the new bill, non-Muslims will be included on the Waqf boards but will be restricted to administrative roles.

Opposition parties, however, accuse the government of using the bill to further “polarizing politics” and marginalize India’s Muslim minority, which numbers approximately 200 million. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress Party, condemned the bill as an attempt to undermine Muslim rights and property laws, labeling it a tool for Hindu nationalists to target Muslims and potentially other communities in the future.

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The opposition sees the bill as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strategy to appeal to its right-wing Hindu supporters, particularly in light of the BJP’s support for claims that mosques were built on the site of ancient Hindu temples and its push to construct a grand Hindu temple on the site of a demolished Mughal-era mosque in Ayodhya