Signature drive begins against UCC

AHMEDABAD: Muslim organisations on Sunday started a signature campaign against attempts to introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). For this, they set up at least 40 booths in various areas of the city having a sizable Muslim population.
The organization `JamiatE-Ulma-I-Hind' claimed they have garnered support of at least 2.50 lakh people. This includes a large number of Muslim women for whose rights votaries of a uniform civil code law and advocates of triple talaq have been campaigning.
Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri of Jamait-E-Ulma-IHind's, Gujarat chapter, said they have initiated attempts to save the “right to freedom of re ligion“.“We have set up 40 booths across the city in areas like Jamalpur, Dariapur, Khanpur, Shahpur, Idgaah, Narol, Doodheswar, Juhapura, Dhalgarwad, Patwa Sheri, Saraspur, Bapunagar and Gomtipur among other places. We are still collecting the forms so the exact number cannot be given at this juncture but we have support of approximately 2.50 lakh Muslims,“ Mansuri said.
“This is not only an attempt to impose Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Muslims but to snatch our constitutional right. Later, it will affect other communities too, including Hindu, Christians and Sikhs,“ Mansuri said. The Mufti further said that anything which is against the Holy Quran and Sharia will not be accepted by Muslims. “Our fight is not just for our religion but also for our Constitution,“ he said.
However, Zakia Soman, fo under of the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, holds a different view. She said that Muslim organisations and Muslim personal law board politicized the law commission's move to issue questionnaire.
“The Constitution gives right to freedom of religion and at the same time there is a secular mandate that gender justice is the obligation of the government. We should have reformed Muslim personal law through legislations such as Hindu marriage act, Hindu succession act, and Christian marriage act,“ Soman said.
“Right to religious freedom does not mean a free run to men over women. The right is guaranteed to all citizens of India.As triple talaq is not quranic, Muslim personal law board is on the back foot,“ Soman said.
She said that Muslim women should see the law commission's questionnaire as an opportunity because it will make the government hear the voice of female members of the community .