Why Some Muslim Leaders Aren’t Happy With Delegation That Met Modi

20 out of 25 members of the delegation that met with PM Modi on 9 May were from Jamiat-Uleme-i-Hind.

From Right to Left: Mahmood Madani, Mohammad Usman Mansurpuri, Professor Akhtrul Wasey address the press after the meeting. (Photo Courtesy: Two Circles blog)

On 9 May, a delegation of 25 clerics met with PM Narendra Modi to discuss the issue of triple talaq, amongst other things. This meeting was led by Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) and was seen as a significant step in the debate around triple talaq and relations between Modi and the Muslim community in India.

The Jamiat issued a press release after the nearly two-hour-long meeting, Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of his group, described the meeting as "satisfactory and positive".

The PM heard us passionately and agreed with our concerns [...] The PM appreciated our stand that [triple talaq] was an internal issue of the Muslim community and the community itself should take reformative steps. Our meeting with the PM was mainly for opening the door of mutual communication and closer understanding.

Mahmood Madani

A memorandum submitted by the delegation to the PM, said: “The basic objective of the meeting is to establish closer interaction between the Government and the Muslim Community on issues of larger national interest, which has been highlighted by the Honorable Prime  Minister himself through the slogans like “Sab ka Sath, sab ka Vikas and Meri Sarkar, Sabki Sarkar’’. We are of the opinion that most important national issues can be solved through mutual dialogue.”

Dizzying U-Turns

But it is worth recalling here that Mahmood Madani has built bridges with Modi only recently. The former Rajya Sabha MP campaigned for the Congress at Deoband in the 2012 UP Assembly Elections. But in 2013, Madani went on record to say Muslims in Gujarat were happier and supported Modi.

By the time Modi took centre stage in Delhi in May 2014, Madani had switched his stance from “How can Muslims forget 2002?” to “If you view Modi from the point of view of 2002, then maybe he is wrong. But now he is our PM." He was criticised by many Muslim community leaders for this U-turn.

Ironically, Madani was responsible for ousting the Darul Uloom rector before him, Maulana Vastanvi, for making pro-Modi remarks.

For the first time in three years, a significant Muslim organisation called upon PM Modi for a meeting. This went against the general understanding within the community’s various organisations that they would never meet with him due to the past and present hostile stance of the BJP government towards Muslims.

A photograph of the meeting. (Photo: PM’s Office) 

Breaking Ranks

The 9 May meeting has evoked mixed responses from the community and political parties. Senior Muslim leader and former president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, when asked by Caravan Daily, maintained his stance against PM Modi, saying nothing had changed about the treatment of Muslims. Now, the editor of the Milli Gazette, Khan’s publication, said in its report of the meeting:

Soon after Mr Modi’s coming to power, at least three high-level meetings were held by Muslim community leaders including one called by Maulana Mahmood Madani himself in his Masjid Abdun Nabi office in Delhi, in which it was decided unanimously that no Muslim group will meet Narendra Modi who was held responsible not only for Gujarat 2002 riots and fake encounters but also for creating in the country an atmosphere of hate against the Muslim community. The leaders had decided that should a need arise to meet the PM, it should be a joint delegation that will go to meet him.

The delegation that met with Modi consisted of 20 members of the JUH out of 25 and did not include other leading Indian Muslim organisations like Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, Jamaat-e Islami Hind or institutions like Muslim Personal Law Board or Darul Uloom Deoband– organisations that have played an active role in the debate around triple talaq. Criticism from within the community blames the delegation for being lopsided and not uniformly representing the Muslim community.

The Who’s Who

Maulana Muizuddin Ahmad, Member, National Executive Committee, JUH was also present during the meeting. In 2009, JUH issued a fatwa against any Muslim who sings or chants ‘Vande Mataram’. Maulana Muizuddin Ahmad went on record to say it was grossly un-Islamic to do so because Muslims only bow to Allah and no other entity – not even India.

The other prominent people among the JUH members were Maulana Qari Syed Mohammad Usman Mansurpuri, President, Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary; Maulana Muizuddin Ahmad, Member, National Executive Committee and 17 other presidents and vice presidents of regional chapters of JUH from across India.

From Right to Left: Mahmood Madani, Mohammad Usman Mansurpuri, Professor Akhtrul Wasey address the press after the meeting. (Photo: Twitter) 

A Progressive Edge

Five senior leaders of the Muslim community who have been heads of major academic institutions, policy groups and Government of India initiatives also joined the delegation, lending to it a more progressive, liberal touch.

Dr Zahir Kazi. (Photo courtesy: Ajuman-i-Islam) 

For instance, PA Inamdar, Founder of Azam Campus, Pune is a renowned Indian educationist. Inamdar has worked with the government of India extensively. Posts he has held in the past and currently holds include: Member, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language; Member, Management Council, Hamdard University, A Govt. of India Trust and, Member, Planning Commission of India on Higher Education New (2012-17).

PA Inamdar at the Salaam Center in Bangalore. (Photo Courtesy: Salaam Center)

Akhtrul Wasey, Vice Chancellor, Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur is a Padmashree awardee and renowned educationist. Professor Wasey has held various positions in Indian universities, national and international bodies especially for the promotion of Urdu. Significantly, he served as the General Secretary, South Asia Interreligious Council on HIV/AIDS.

Professor Akhtrey wins the Padmashree award. (Photo courtesy: Twitter) 

Other members included Haji Syed Wahid Hussain Chishti Angarah Shah, Secretary, Anjuman Khuddam Khawja Sahab, Dargah Sharif Ajmer and Dr. Zahir I. Kazi, President of Anjuman-i-Islam, Mumbai and Mohammad Atique, Officer on Special Duty, Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur .

Mohd Atique wins the Times Excellence in Education award. (Photo Courtesy: Maulana Azad College)

After the meeting, the PM’s office putting out a positive press release about the meeting: “On triple talaq, the Prime Minister reiterated that the Muslim community should not allow this issue to be politicised, and urged the assembled gathering to take the responsibility for initiating reform in this regard.”

JUH too has condemned triple talaq publicly, while stressing that it is an internal matter of the Muslim community which needed to be sorted out from within. They are against the formation of a Uniform Civil Code, and reportedly allocated close to Rs 75 lakhs last year to fight cases defending Muslim personal laws in the Supreme Court.