Keep off personal laws: Muslim leaders

Thane, May 11 (IANS) Muslim leaders Friday came down heavily on governments and courts for what they termed as "interference" in the Muslim personal law, a spokesperson said.

Thousands gathered at Bhiwandi, around 45 km from Mumbai, for a convention on Muslim personal law.

In his keynote address, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan of the Muslim Personal Law Board said a recent Supreme Court observation seeking to mandate registration of "nikaah" was an example of interference.

"This cannot be tolerated. Moreover, it goes against the government's assurance that it will not interfere or tamper with Muslim personal laws," Khan thundered amid applause.

He added that some recent judgements and observations of the courts as well as government policies go against the spirit of the assurances given by the government.

Khan added that many innocent Muslim youths arrested across the country have been forcibly linked to terror cases.

Citing the example of the Malegaon blasts of 2006, he said that innocent Muslims were picked up and released after many years in prison.

Renowned Islamic scholar Allama Qamruzzaman Khan Azmi said a proposed bill by the Maharashtra government was seeking to make all married women equal partners in their husband's property.

Azmi said the move had hurt the sentiments of Muslims and that the bill contravened the existing legislation on Muslim women's rights.

There was also a demand to let Muslims offer namaaz in all the religious shrines and mosques controlled by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The speakers asked the government to ensure that the Right to Education Bill did not interfere with madrassa education.

Other prominent speakers included Sayed Khwaja Gulam Kibriya Sahab Chishti, Sajjad Nasheen, M. Saeed Noori and Maulana Yaseen Akhtar Misbahi.