20th session of AIMPLB begins in Kolkata
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Kolkata: Maulana Syed Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, president All India Muslim Personal Law Board, (AIMPLB), an apex body of Indian Muslims, has cautioned against two major ills plaguing the society namely female foeticide and interest.
Delivering the presidential address at 20th session of the general body meeting of the AIMPLB here in Kolkata at Khodiram Anshulan Manch which has been christened as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Manch Maulana Rabey said female foeticide which was a crime against humanity was prevalent before the advent of Islam when in the Arabian peninsular daughter was considered a curse and buried alive soon after birth. Since the medical sciences had not made much headway then the female foetuses escaped the dragnet and the axe fell on the girl child. It was Islam which declared it a sin and rooted out this evil from the soil of Arabia.
Maulana Rabey said nowadays, with the advancement of study of womb in medical sciences, this evil has taken the shape of female foeticide which is increasing day by day in the Indian citizenry. This is a very black spot on the forehead of humanity and is result of the bad practices being indulged into by the masses at the time of marriage against parents who have to marry off their daughters.
Making a concerted appeal to stop this forthwith, he said that the AIMPLB has taken this cause as a common cause of all Indians and expects that others will join hands to combat this social evil. It is high time for every conscientious Indian to be up and join hands with the AIMPLB to create social awareness to root out this evil of female foeticide from the Indian society, Maulana Rabey stressed.
Photo by Hasnain Siddiqui
Another evil and wrong trend which has even cropped up in Muslims is not keeping away themselves from interest-free transactions. Taking and paying of interest is forbidden not only in Islam but in Christianity and Judaism, Maulana Rabey pointed out. “While I have nothing to say about Christians and Jews but Muslims should understand the ill-effects of “Sood” (interest) as ordained by Allah Almighty in Quran and the fall-out from it which brings misery and creates problems in ones lives”, Maulana Rabey remarked.
In his over 30 minutes address Maulana Rabey touched all issues at length affecting Muslim Ummah in particular and Indian society at large such as terrorism, compulsory registration of marriages, Uniform Civil Code, Babri Masjid tangle, social reforms.
He exhorted Muslim Ummah to follow the teachings of Islam and principles and rules of Shariah in all aspect of life, particularly in family matters, in letter and spirit so as not give any chance to the adversaries of Islam to criticize. This would be the first step in protecting the Islamic Shariah and make the task of AIMPLB easy, he opined.
Earlier, Maulana Hakeem Mohammad Irfan-ul-Hussaini, president of the Reception Committee of 20th session of AIMPLB, while delivering his welcome address recalled the rich heritage of Muslim clerics of Bengal in general and Kolkata in particular.
He lamented that the West Bengal Government has enforced the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act and issued notification by distorting the Supreme Court of India directives. The West Bengal Government attitude towards the development of Urdu and freeing the Waqf properties from encroachment is far from satisfactory and is only lip-service.
He also deplored the patronage extended to “so-called Muslim” woman Ms Taslima Nasreen by the CPM-ruled West Bengal Government in the past which hurt the feelings of Muslims not only in the state but all over India.
Maulana Rabey released a souvenir brought out by AIMPLB on the occasion. Mohd. Abdur Raheem Quraishi, Asstt. general secretary AIMPLB, conducted the proceedings. ([email protected])