The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) declared that the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was “neither relevant nor beneficial for a multi-religious, multicultural, and multilingual country like India” and that its implementation would thus “go against the spirit of the Constitution.”
The executive committee of the board stated during a meeting at the Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow that “if taking advantage of its majority in Parliament, the government passes and puts into effect the UCC, it will affect the unity and harmony that bind the nation. It will hinder the country’s progress and not bear any fruitful results.”
The board urged Muslims to start additional educational institutions in order to protect and promote their religious and cultural values, TOI reported.
The board declared that topics of religion and faith are matters of conscience and conviction and do not call for government interference.
“The decision to follow a religion is natural. The Constitution honours this as a fundamental right, and so everyone has freedom to follow a religion of his choice. It is unfair to use force or money to influence an individual in this matter. However, in many states, laws have been made to deprive citizens of this very basic right. This is totally unacceptable. Yet, those who willingly choose to switch from one religion to another are free to do so,” said AIMPLB.
The board urged the government to enact strict steps to curb religious animosity and communal hatred.
Goa is currently the only state in India that has implemented a Uniform Civil Code in state matters. Others, including Uttarakhand and Gujarat have also promised to implement UCC in near future.
