From Brussels to Baku: Charles Michel sees arbitration as the currency of investor confidence
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ during Azerbaijan Arbitration Days 2025, President Emeritus of the European Council Charles Michel said internati...
India's government has introduced a bill proposing sweeping reforms in the management of waqf properties, allowing non-Muslim members on waqf boards and enabling the state to determine disputed land ownership, sparking concerns among Muslim groups and opposition lawmakers.
The Indian government on Wednesday presented a bill in parliament that plans sweeping changes in the management of vast tracts of land set aside solely for Muslim use, potentially stoking tensions between the government and minority Muslims.
The land and properties fall under the "waqf" category, which means "to stay" in Arabic, and are endowed by a Muslim for religious, educational or charitable purposes. Such land cannot be transferred or sold.
Government and Muslim organisations estimate that over 25 waqf boards hold nearly 85,1535 properties and 900,000 acres of land, putting them among the top three landowners in India.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, tabled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, proposes inclusion of non-Muslim members in the central Waqf Council and waqf boards and will enable the government to determine ownership of disputed waqf properties.
The legislation comes amid tensions between the Muslim community and Modi government. Opposition lawmakers and Islamic groups see the bill as a plan to secure assets owned by Muslims and to weaken their property rights under the Indian constitution.
Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the bill, said it would end corruption, mismanagement and examine ownership rules largely controlled by some Muslim families and elite groups.
The bill should "be viewed as a "pro-Muslim reform," he said.
VOTE TO DECIDE BILL'S FATE
A vote by ruling alliance and opposition lawmakers in the lower house will decide the fate of the bill later on Wednesday.
"It is okay to reserve two posts in the Waqf board for non-Muslims but does it mean that Muslims will get similar reservation in the boards of Hindu temples?" asked Kamal Farooqui, an official of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
"Modi government wants to control the Islamic land bank and they have no right to undermine our institutions," he said.
A 2006 report by the government-appointed Sachar Committee had urged an overhaul of waqf boards and monitoring of properties to generate higher returns for the Muslim community.
India is set to have the world's largest Muslim population by 2050, the Pew Research Center has forecast. Yet the community, which makes up about 13% of India's population, lags the national average on indicators such as education, employment and political representation.
Muslim groups allege Modi's ruling party and hardline Hindu affiliates since 2014 have promoted anti-Islamic policies, violent vigilantism and demolished Muslim-owned properties.
Modi and his party officials deny religious discrimination allegations.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, a global style icon and patron of Thai silk who helped revive the monarchy’s standing after World War II and later occasionally stepped into politics, has died aged 93, the Royal Household Bureau said on Saturday.
The U.S. allegedly carried out its first night strike of a regional counter-drug campaign in the Caribbean, killing six suspected "narco-terrorists" on a vessel linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has condemned U.S. military operations against vessels in the Caribbean, which have resulted in dozens of deaths and heightened tensions in the region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have not ruled out the possibility of a future summit.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday (24 October) that trade talks with Washington are progressing well. She declined to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to halt negotiations with Canada over Ontario’s anti-tariff advertisement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment