– Mohammed Talha Siddi Bapa
Thonse, Udupi:A sharp warning echoed through the packed Salihath Auditorium in Udupi this Sunday as senior journalist Mr. Shivasundar declared, “Silence is our worst enemy.” Addressing over 80 community leaders, legal experts, students, and activists at the Waqf Awareness Workshop hosted by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Udupi District, he offered a piercing breakdown of constitutional provisions and the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, calling it a turning point for minority rights in India.
Comparing the 1995 and 2025 Waqf Acts line-by-line, Shivasundar mapped how successive legislative shifts have diluted constitutional safeguards under Articles 25 to 30, particularly threatening the autonomy of religious endowments. “In a country where politics is land and land is politics,” he said, “we cannot afford to ignore these changes.”
Adding technical and operational urgency to the legal analysis, Mr. Mujibullah Zaffari, former CEO of the Karnataka State Waqf Board, conducted a live demonstration of the UMEED portal, the government’s digital interface for Waqf registration. He warned that “ineffective paperwork today is tomorrow’s litigation,” pointing out common data-entry errors, outdated property records, and procedural gaps that weaken Waqf protections.
The one-day workshop, organised by JIH Udupi, was designed with three clear objectives:
- Demystify Waqf’s legal and historical landscape,
- Train participants to handle real-life Waqf disputes using digital tools, and
- Nurture a network of community ‘Waqf Ambassadors’ ready to intervene in public discourse, policy spaces, and courts.
Attendees – representing JIH’s men’s and women’s wings, SIO, GIO, Solidarity, Udupi Zilla Muslim Okkoota, lawyers, ulama, journalists, and social workers – were divided into five multidisciplinary teams. Each team tackled real Waqf case studies, including issues like mosque land encroachment, mismanaged trusts, and Waqf board inaction. Under the mentorship of Br Afwan Hoode, Br Yasin Kodibengre, and Janab Abdul Azeez Udyavara, teams presented their findings to a review panel composed of Mr. Shivasundar, Janab Yusuf Kanni Sahib, and Mr. Zaffari.
The workshop stood out for its inclusive format: women, college youth, and even schoolchildren participated as presenters. Their clarity, confidence, and enthusiasm drew warm applause. One college student said, “I came in thinking Waqf had nothing to do with me. Now I know it’s my religious and civic duty.”
Participants described the training as a “thought-provoking experience” that linked religious, legal, and social dimensions. Many called for this case-study model to be replicated across Karnataka. “This wasn’t just theory – it was training for action,” said a local lawyer.
In his concluding address, Janab Yusuf Kanni, State Secretary of JIH Karnataka, urged every participant to become an Ambassador of Waqf, declaring, “Waqf integrity is a national trust, not a sectarian concern.” Feedback from the audience echoed a collective resolve: “We came confused. We’re leaving equipped – with clarity, tools, and purpose.”
Two follow-up workshops were announced:
- One on UMEED portal optimisation,
- Another on land registration and conversion procedures.
The workshop’s success was rooted in two months of prior preparation. Participants were divided into study groups beforehand and tasked with examining real-life Waqf disputes and constitutional values – especially the Preamble and Articles 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, and 30. These pre-event discussions enriched the interactive and results-driven environment on the day of the workshop.
The programme began with a moving Qirat by Moulana Imranullah Mansoori, setting a reflective tone. The closing du’a captured the spirit of the day:
“Life is a gift from Allah. Let us live it in service, with justice, and in defence of His trust.”
With legal awareness deepened and community motivation ignited, the Udupi Waqf Workshop proved that local initiatives, when grounded in moral clarity and constitutional understanding, can shape statewide reform. And as Mr. Shivasundar reminded: “If we don’t raise our voices now, we may not get another chance.”
