By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
In a candid interview with TwoCircles.net, Uzma Nahid, the member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) talked elaborately and in detail on the role and the working pattern of the Board and its role and responsibilities in the context of the socio-economic conditions of Indian Muslims.
TwoCircles.net asked her about her experiences of working with the AIMPLB. She was very formal in her reply initially saying that the Muslim Personal Law Board is a very important platform of Muslims of India.
Nahid who is very active in Islamic education projects and issues affecting Muslim women said that whatever she is doing outside the board can be easily done from the platform of AIMPLB. And this was a very important and revealing insight that she tried to convey.
She went on to the extent of saying that “it is not what only she but many more in the AIMPLB feel that it is actually one or two people who dominate and run the AIMPLB. Most of the decisions are taken silently and without consultation with other members of AIMPLB.”
“And this is something which is wrong because AIMPLB is a combined platform thus should work in a democratic and combined way”, she added.
Nahid who is associated with AIMPLB for a long time said that the Board has lost its effectiveness. Recalling that earlier millions used to participate in the function organized by the body. The contemporary governments used to be on alert to the decisions of AIMPLB to see that what kinds of stand the Muslim representative body is going to take.
But now the situation is such that not even media turns up in the functions of AIMPLB, she frankly accepted. In those days AIMPLB always used to respond to the call, requirements and the situation of the time. For the interests of the Indian Muslims and their complicated situations it used to take revolutionary stands.
Unfortunately this is not happening these days although the situation of Muslims in India has become delicate and complicated but AIMPLB remains silent on most of the issues affecting the community thus failing the people it is supposed to be serving.
“And this is something which is very wrong. AIMPLB can be made very powerful. Even today personal law board is organization of Muslims and we don’t want that people who are not even Aalim (religious scholar) to rule AIMPLB. Here there are some non Aalims who are ruling over the Aalims and this is some thing I am not all able to digest and understand as to why it is happening”.
“The Model Nikahnama: a late but revolutionary step by the board”
She informed TCN that she formulated a Model Nikahnama in 1994 after a long consultation with eminent and learned lawyers, Aalims, Muftis and Islamic jurists. But even for the proposal of model Nikahnama it took nearly 10 years to convince the decision makers of the board to take some decision on this.
“Although a mess was created because of the delay but I am happy that AIMPLB did come up at last with a Nikahnama thought is not an ideal Nikahnama for me.”
It is good because the board said that for the safety of the bride certain precautionary conditions can be posed before the Nikah. “This was a very revolutionary step which was actually prepared by some one else but which the Board accepted and finalized.” She added.
The decision will be a safety measure for the Muslim women in India as they can enter into Nikah with their conditions put in writing. It was very important in the context where there is no mechanism to make men responsible to the Nikah they entered into.
“AIMPLB should expand its areas of functioning and respond to the complex set of challenges and situations facing Indian Muslims”
Uzma Nahid strongly pointed out that the time has come when AIMPLB should not limit itself only to the matters of personal laws. One should understand that when the Board was formed there was some threat on Shariah and it was formed to defend it. But that situation no longer exists.
Now the situation of Indian Muslims is very sensitive. The community is facing innumerable challenges like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment among its youth and much more. So the need of the hour is to chalk out a strategy on how to face the situations.
It should not confine itself to selective issues only. Because after all it is the Muslims that the board represents and who else will speak if not the Board on the matters related to Indian Muslims.
So the time has come that the board should understand the need of the hour and expands its areas of functioning.
Probably it is because of the continued indifference of the Muslim leadership from the common problems of the Muslim masses that the Ummah, as she pointed out, is increasingly becoming disenchanted and disillusioned from the Islamic leadership of the country. This is so because it sees that their Islamic leaders don’t have any thing to do with the problems which they suffer on daily basis like unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, justice to the riot victims.
She reminded that it shouldn’t be forgotten that the AIMPLB is a representative body of Indian Muslims. Even now the Muslim masses listen to the calls made by the AIMPLB.
The AIMPLB can work as an agency which can pressurize the government to formulate concrete policies which could solve the problems of the community.
She concluded by saying that if the Board has to make itself relevant to the community then it must expand its working areas urgently because it is the need of the hour.