Civil code: Muslims warn CM

MUMBAI, May 15: Chief Minister Manohar Joshi's recent call to bring in a uniform civil code has come under severe attack by the scholars an...

MUMBAI, May 15: Chief Minister Manohar Joshi’s recent call to bring in a uniform civil code has come under severe attack by the scholars and representatives of the Muslim community. The Muslim leaders have warned the government not to rake up this sensitive issue and play with the sentiments of Muslims.

Speaking at a conference here at Nagpada, organised by the Raza Academy, Sharief-ul-Haq, Chief Mufti of India said any attempt to enforce a common civil code would result in the disintegration of the country. “The common civil code will not only be detrimental to the religious interests of Muslims but also to various other religious minorities like Parsees, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and others,” he said.

“Any insistence on enforcing a common civil code will lead to a civil war in the country,” the chief mufti opined. He emphasised that the constitution has allowed everyone to follow their own religion, culture and personal laws.

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“Hence any attempt to enact a common civil code would amount to depriving the religious minorities certain provisions provided by the Indian constitution,” he stressed.

While the general secretary of Raza Academy, Mohammed Saeed Noorie, demanded the abolition of Article 44, which envisages the formulation of common civil code in a gradual manner, a few other members who spoke at the conference recommended some amendments in the bill presented before the parliament after the sensational handling of Shah Bano case by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1985. Noorie felt that Article 44 stands in contradiction to Article 25, which provides freedom to people to follow their own personal and religious laws.

“If these amendments are accepted, the problem will be solved amicably. "This is the only lasting solution to this sensitive issue,” Noorie said adding that some self-styled Muslim leaders are playing games by keeping away the Muslims from economic and industrial activities by engaging them in sensitive religious issues.