Press Release
The Court has, at the prima facie stage, accepted that Vande Mataram cannot be made compulsory in madrasas while………….
New Delhi, 22 June 2026: At its recent Executive Committee meeting, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board reviewed in detail the current situation facing the country and the Muslim community, and took a number of important decisions.
These decisions relate in particular to the growing incidents of mob violence (lynching) against Muslims in BJP-ruled states; demolition drives against mosques and madrasas; bulldozer action targeting Muslim homes and localities; attempts to make Vande Mataram compulsory in government functions, schools, and government-aided madrasas; developments concerning the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code in various states; and the recent judgment of the Madhya Pradesh High Court regarding the Kamal Maula/Bhojshala Mosque.
The Executive Committee expressed grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country and for the Muslim community, and stated that in BJP-administered states, Muslims’ lives, property, honour and dignity, mosques, madrasas, graveyards, personal law, fundamental rights, and even their faith and beliefs are under continuous attack.
A climate of hatred, prejudice, and communal tension is being systematically fostered across the country. It is deeply unfortunate that those at the forefront of fuelling this atmosphere appear to include senior BJP office-bearers and even responsible members of the government themselves, while no effective legal action is taken against hate speeches and incitement.
The Executive Committee also regretted that despite the planned attacks on the life, property, honour, dignity, religion and faith of the Muslim community, secular political parties continue to maintain a criminal silence, as though Muslims have been reduced to nothing more than a vote bank.
The Executive Committee decided that a comprehensive document would be prepared and published on the deteriorating condition of the Muslim community, communal tension, and violations of fundamental rights, so as to awaken the conscience of the country’s aware, justice-loving, and democratically minded sections of society.
The Board made it clear that the violation of the rights of the country’s second-largest community is not merely the problem of one section of society; rather, it directly affects the democratic structure, social harmony, and developmental process of the country as a whole, and in that sense constitutes a loss for the entire nation.
With regard to the Kamal Maula Mosque/Bhojshala case, the Executive Committee expressed deep concern over the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s judgment, stating that it is contrary to historical evidence, revenue records, colonial-era official documents, and the centuries-old Muslim tradition of worship at the site.
Furthermore, the judgment is also inconsistent with the spirit of the Places of Worship Act, 1991. The Executive Committee welcomed the fact that the Kamal Maula Mosque Committee has challenged the judgment in the Supreme Court, and resolved that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board would extend every possible assistance to the Mosque Committee in this legal struggle.
The Executive Committee declared that attempts to make Vande Mataram compulsory are contrary to Article 25 of the Constitution of India. The Board clarified that if the Central Government takes any such step whereby Vande Mataram is made compulsory for all citizens or school students through Parliament, the Board will approach the courts against it.
Similarly, the Executive Committee held that the decision of the Government of West Bengal to make Vande Mataram compulsory in schools and in government-aided and recognised madrasas is a violation of fundamental rights and contrary to the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Bijoe Emmanuel v. State of Kerala (1986), and demanded that it be withdrawn immediately.
The Executive Committee welcomed the interim order of the Calcutta High Court staying the government directive requiring the singing of Vande Mataram in madrasas. The Court has, at the prima facie stage, accepted that Vande Mataram cannot be made compulsory in madrasas while disregarding the religious beliefs and sentiments of the minority community, and that no disciplinary action can be taken against any madrasa or student for not doing so.
The Executive Committee stated in unequivocal terms that Vande Mataram is a shirk-laden song, some of whose contents are contrary to the Muslim belief in Tawhid (the oneness of God); therefore, it is not permissible in Islamic law for Muslims to recite it. The Board appealed to Muslims not to compromise on their faith and beliefs in the name of tolerance or patriotism.
The Executive Committee also expressed serious concern over the ongoing legislative efforts in BJP-ruled states in the name of the Uniform Civil Code. The meeting noted that after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, preparations are now under way for the implementation of the UCC in Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra as well.
The Board clarified that the Uniform Civil Code is not a mandatory constitutional command that courts are bound to enforce; rather, it is a non-binding guiding principle included among the Directive Principles of State Policy.
Moreover, the forced implementation of the UCC is contrary to the religious freedom guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution of India and runs against the pluralistic and diverse social structure of the country.
The Executive Committee resolved that just as the Board has challenged the Uttarakhand Government’s UCC law in the Nainital High Court, it will also pursue legal action against similar laws in other states.
The Executive Committee further resolved that, against the social and political marginalisation of Muslims, the violation of constitutional norms, the promotion of hatred and hostility, the damage to communal harmony, attacks on the life, property, honour and dignity of Muslims, and the demolition of mosques and madrasas, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board will launch a nationwide movement in partnership with justice-loving, democracy-loving, and peace-loving sections of society. For this purpose, an Action Committee is being constituted.
The meeting was presided over by Board President Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, and the proceedings were conducted by Board General Secretary Maulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi.
Executive Committee members from across the country attended the meeting, including in particular Vice Presidents Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind; Maulana Ubaidullah Khan Azmi, former Member of Parliament; Janab Syed Sadatullah Husaini, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; Maulana Asghar Imam Mahdi, President of Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith; Secretaries Maulana Umrain Mahfooz Rahmani and Maulana Yasin Ali Usmani; National Spokesperson Dr. S. Q. R. Ilyas; Senior Advocates Janab Yusuf Hatim Muchhala and Janab M. R. Shamshad; Women’s Wing Convener Advocate Jaleesa Sultana; Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, M. P., Janab Arif Masood; Maulana Abu Talib Rahmani; Maulana Sajjad Nomani; and Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, among others.
Speakers at the Press Conference:
* Maulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi, General Secretary
* Dr. S. Q. R. Ilyas, National Spokesperson
