Mumbai, Dec 29: The country's Shia community has asked the government to constitute a high-level committee on the lines of the Sachar Committee to assess the social and economic status of Shias in India and grant them reserved status to enable employment and upliftment programmes.
The Sachar Committee was a seven-member group headed by former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Rajinder Sachar, established in March 2005 to study the social, economic and educational condition of the Muslim community.
Resolutions Passed At AISPLB Annual Convention In Lucknow
The demands were made at the annual convention of the All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Sunday in Lucknow, which was attended by scholars, orators, intellectuals and members of the community.
Shias have also asked the national government to investigate alleged corruption and the illicit sale of properties in the Shia Wakf Boards of the country, especially the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board, take stern action against the culprits, and enact a special law for the maintenance of Shia religious endowments.
Call For Reconstruction Of Jannat al-Baqi Tombs
The meeting also raised a long-standing demand by the community for the reconstruction of tombs at the Jannat al-Baqi cemetery in Medina belonging to members of Prophet Muhammad's family.
The convention demanded that the government of India use its diplomatic influence to urge the Saudi Arabian government to allow Indian Shias to reconstruct the shrines (tombs) of the Prophet's daughter and the four Imams, which currently stand without canopies or roofs. The tombs were demolished on the orders of the new regime that took over control of the religious sites after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Concerns Over Lynching, Uniform Civil Code And Hijab
The convention also called for the enactment of strict laws against rising mob lynching in the country, reconsideration of the plan to introduce a Uniform Civil Code, and political representation for the Shia minority.
In a statement, the AISPLB said that it is a "blot on the secular face of India" that the approximately 80 million Shias were deprived of any political representation.
The meeting also asked the government to uphold the right of the community's women to wear the hijab for education, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
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AISPLB General Secretary Urges Continued Struggle For Rights
AISPLB general secretary Maulana Yasub Abbas, addressing the community, said, "When people abandon their fight for their rights, oppression begins upon them. Therefore, the struggle for rights must continue, and demands must be placed before the government."