Bhatkal : In a significant show of unity, Muslim leaders and representatives from across Karnataka’s coastal districts and parts of Goa gathered at Rabita Hall in Bhatkal to strongly oppose the recent amendments to the Waqf Act introduced by the central government. The meeting, hosted by Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem, brought together voices from Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Goa, reported the Varta Bharati.
Leaders at the convention condemned the Waqf (Amendment) Act as an assault on the autonomy of Muslim religious institutions. They argued that the amended law would allow greater government interference in the affairs of Waqf boards, thereby weakening the community’s control over its own religious and charitable assets.
A resolution passed during the session announced statewide protests on Friday, April 18, following Jummah prayers. Demonstrators will present memorandums addressed to the President and Prime Minister through local administrative offices. An awareness campaign is also set to begin, aiming to inform the public about the law’s implications for Waqf properties and community welfare.
Speakers stressed the need for communal solidarity and cooperation with secular groups from other faiths, citing the success of earlier movements like the anti-CAA protests. Advocate M.K. Maitri, a senior Bengaluru-based lawyer, outlined the legal dangers posed by the new law, while Maulana Ilyas Jakati Nadvi of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) opened the event by sharing the Board’s nationwide efforts to resist the changes.
The meeting was presided over by Inayatullah Shabandri, President of Tanzeem. Key figures such as Atiqur Rahman Muniri of Rabita Society, Abdul Raqeeb MJ Nadvi of Tanzeem, Ashraf Beary, and former MLA Mohiuddin Bava were among the many notable participants. Delegates arrived from Mangaluru, Karwar, Udupi, Sirsi, Murdeshwar, Honnavar, and Goa.
The assembly praised Tanzeem’s efforts in uniting regional voices and proposed the creation of a regional coordination committee to continue the resistance against the Waqf law and other issues affecting the Muslim community.
Speakers called for peaceful and lawful participation in the protests and urged community members to attend in large numbers to make their voices heard.
