India’s lower house of parliament has passed a controversial bill to amend laws governing Muslim endowments, known as waqf, which are valued at over $14 billion. The bill, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, seeks to include non-Muslims in the management boards of waqf properties and increase government oversight of their land holdings. Waqf refers to personal property permanently donated by Muslims for religious or charitable purposes, including mosques, shops, shrines, graveyards, and vast tracts of land.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) argues that the amendments will help curb corruption and mismanagement while promoting diversity. However, Muslims fear that the changes could make waqf properties more vulnerable to government control, confiscations, and demolitions. The bill was met with strong opposition during Wednesday’s parliamentary debate, with the Congress-led opposition calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory. Despite lacking a clear majority in the lower house, the BJP secured the bill’s passage with 288 votes in favor and 232 against early Thursday. It now moves to the upper house for further debate, after which it will require presidential assent to become law.One of the bill’s most contentious aspects is the proposed modification to waqf ownership rules, which could affect hundreds of mosques, shrines, and graveyards. Many waqf properties, some dating back centuries, were donated without formal legal documentation, raising concerns that they could now be declared state property. Critics argue that the move could provide the government with unprecedented control over Muslim assets, particularly amid rising attacks on the community under Modi’s rule.
Home Minister Amit Shah defended the bill, stating that non-Muslims would be added to waqf boards solely for administrative purposes and not to interfere in religious affairs. “The [non-Muslim] members will monitor whether the administration is running as per law and whether the donations are being used for what they were intended or not,” he said during the debate. However, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called the bill “a weapon aimed at marginalizing Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights,” warning that it could set a precedent for targeting other communities in the future.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), a prominent Muslim organization, has rejected the bill, calling it “discriminatory, communally motivated, and a blatant infringement on the constitutional rights of Muslim citizens.” The group warned that the amendments would erode the autonomy of waqf boards and urged citizens to protest if the bill becomes law. AIMPLB official Kamal Farooqui questioned the government’s intentions, stating, “It is okay to reserve two posts in the waqf board for non-Muslims, but does it mean that Muslims will get similar representation in Hindu temple boards? Modi’s government wants to control the Islamic land bank and has no right to undermine our institutions.”
Hindu right-wing groups have increasingly laid claim to several mosques across India, arguing they were built over demolished Hindu temples. The demolition of the 16th-century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya by a Hindu mob in 1992 remains one of the most infamous incidents of religious violence in the country. Several similar disputes are currently pending in Indian courts.
Muslims, who make up 14 percent of India’s 1.4 billion population, remain the country’s largest religious minority and also its most economically disadvantaged group. A 2006 government report, known as the Sachar Committee Report, recommended reforms to waqf management to generate higher returns for the Muslim community. However, many Muslims now fear that the new bill could strip them of control over their religious and charitable assets, further marginalizing the community in an increasingly polarized political climate.
