'So, they have taken away the word Waqf from the Bill.'
'It will now be known as the UMEED Act.'
Munambam, a fishing hamlet in Kochi, and the new Waqf Act are the two most talked about topics in Kerala, more so in the political discourses.
Will the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 help the people of Munambam in any way?
Like the state BJP claimed, will it help them end their fight for their own land?
Or, like all the other political parties in Kerala say, the Waqf Act will have no impact?
The reality is, the residents will have to wait for the court verdict to know whether they have the right to ownership of their land or not.
"If I want to give my land as Waqf for a cause, how can the government say that I have no right to do so? It is my private property, and I have every right to decide what to do with my property," Dr K M Muneer, Indian Union Muslim League leader and former Kerala minister, tells Rediff's Shobha Warrier.
Do you approve of the claim made by the Waqf Board on the land in Munambam that has been occupied by around 600 families for more than a hundred years?
Will the situation change with the Waqf Amendment Act?
First of all, the Waqf Amendment Bill has nothing to do with Munambam. The central government is playing with the Waqf Bill for other purposes.
The Munambam issue is totally different.
The land in question was given by Siddhique Sait to Farooq College sometime in 1950. In the deed, it was written that it was given as Waqf.
Sait had written three conditions too. One, that the land should be used only for educational purposes. Two, Farooq college could sell the property. Three, if it was not used for educational purpose, it should go back to the Sait family.
So, it is a conditional Waqf. That's why there was a lot of debate on whether Waqf could be conditional.
Then, there were people staying on the land for generations which was given as Waqf to Farooq College. These people have been settlers on the land for more than 100 years though the land belonged to Siddhique Sait.
Since one of the conditions in the deed was that Farooq College could sell the land, they sold it to the people who were living there. With this money, Farooq college bought land in Farooq itself.
In a way, the matter was settled, and everything was peaceful.
Later, somebody gave a petition that it was Waqf land.
V S Achuthanandan was the chief minister then. He formed a commission under a former judge to look into the land. The commission gave a report that it was indeed Waqf land.
That's when all the problems started.
The Waqf Tribunal also agreed with this report and took the stand that it was Waqf land.
When questioned, Farooq College also said that it was given as Waqf. Since one of the conditions in the deed was that it could be sold, they sold to the people staying there.
When the matter went to court, the court asked the Waqf Board to register the property as Waqf property. And the Waqf Board did so as instructed by the court.
When this government came, they asked not to collect any tax from the people living there as it was Waqf property.
It means the Pinarayi Vijayan government also took a stand that it was Waqf property. Inside the assembly, to a question, the minister in charge said that as it was Waqf property, the government was going to take the land back.
That was when the protest started.
What was the position of Muslim organisations when the government took such a decision?
All the Muslim organisations together under Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal took a stand that it was not fair to evict people who have been living there for generations. You just cannot ask people to move one fine morning.
We also said that the government should opt for an outside court settlement as if you went to court, it might again say, it was Waqf property.
Farooq College also didn't want to evict the settlers. That's why they sold the land to them.
Even though everybody wants the settlers to continue living there, why did the issue blow up like this?
That's the question I am also asking.
Had the government taken a pro-people stand, this would not have become such an issue.
The Waqf Board is with the government. The Waqf minister also is with the government.
So, they can sit with these people and make an out of court settlement.
They can also call the Muslim organisations also for the meeting.
Then, the issue should be settled forever because the same question should not arise again after two or three generations.
You had said many times that if all the parties involved sat across a table for talks, the matter could resolved in no time...
Yes, I have been saying that ever since this became a contentious issue.
The Farooq College management has been saying that they don't want the land though the land was given to them. They said, let the people who have been living there, continue living there.
The Muslim organisations said if Farooq College didn't have any problem, we also didn't have any problem.
When all those concerned have no issue, the government should see to it that the question of Waqf should not rise again.
The important thing is, this issue has to be legally settled, and the land be given to the people permanently.
Has it not become an issue that is dividing the Christian and Muslim communities, and also a political issue with the BJP trying to take advantage?
I will go on to say that the state government and the BJP government at the centre want to make it more political and more complicated.
After passing the Waqf Amendment Bill, why did the central minister (Kiren Rijju) said, this is for Munambam?
The same minister when he came here, said, 'I cannot say the Bill will help you get the land back as the matter is in court'.
In Parliament, they were trying to woo the Christian community but when the reality struck, they said, the court had to take a decision.
After what the minister said here, many Christian bishops felt they were fooled by the central government.
The state government also want to polarise the Muslims and the Christians to their advantage. And when the elections come, they will analyse which share will help them.
If they see that it is the Christian share that will help them, they will go with them.
If they see that it is the Muslim votes that will be useful, they will go with the Muslims.
The state government is just waiting for the elections to come. That's why they do not want to settle the issue now.
I am saying, this issue can be settled in 24 hours. There is no need for any Amendment Bill.
Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal told the Christian community, don't believe these people. We are with you.
The central government brought in the Waqf Amendment Bill for some other purpose.
What do you think is the purpose?
Do you know they do not want to hear the word Waqf itself. So, they have taken away the word Waqf from the Bill.
It will now be known as the UMEED Act, which stands for Unified Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development Act.
First, it was Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Act, 2025. But they took away the Waqf from it and made it UMEED Act!
They say that a lot of misuse has taken place in the name of Waqf.
Are you saying only this community has this problem? Every community has this problem, properties of temples, churches and mosques are being misused.
Do you feel the Act is targeted at the Muslims alone?
Definitely. They say that if you don't come with the documents within 6 months, that property will not be Waqf.
How can a property which was given as Waqf hundreds of years ago, have a document?
There are lots of such mosques and graveyards in the country. So, one fine day, the government can say that it is government property and not Waqf as you don't have documents.
Do you think temples and churches which were built 100 or 500 years ago, will have documents?
But only the properties without documents that the Muslim communities have will go to the government.
If anyone raises a complaint against a Waqf property, the very next day a government administrator can say that this is not Waqf.
So, before going to court or the tribunal, a property can go into the hands of the government. And it is not an easy task to get it back.
All the Waqf lands are given by individuals in the name of God.
If I want to give my land as Waqf for a cause, how can the government say that I have no right to do so? It is my private property, and I have every right to decide what to do with my property.
The Waqf Board also has no right over the land. It only has the duty to see that the land was not used for some other purpose.
How is the Muslim League going to approach such an Act?
The Waqf Amendment Bill has gone to the Supreme Court.
We plan to fight in a democratic way.
The Constitution of India says that the property of a community can be maintained by that community.
All the clauses in the Constitution have been toppled here. That's why the Supreme Court also said initially that no one can make a law against the Constitution.
Even though it was passed by the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and got the approval of the President, the Constitution is questioned here. That's why we requested the Supreme Court to look into the Act which was anti-Constitution.
And the first impression of the Supreme Court was that there were a lot of flaws in the Bill. For example, one fine day the government cannot de-notify a property as not Waqf.
Do you think by passing the Waqf Amendment Bill, the BJP will not be successful in wooing the Christian community in Kerala?
They will not be successful.
In Kerala, they are trying to appease the Christian community. But in other states, the Christians are being attacked. The Christian community has realised the true colours of the BJP.
In fact, the bond between the Christian and Muslim communities will be strengthened in the coming days.
I would say, the Munambam issue will be a waterloo for both Pinarayi Vijayan and the BJP in Kerala.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
© 2025