Muslim rights leader says govt assured action over Waqf property registration, flags concerns over jihad narrative (IANS Exclusive)
In New Delhi on Saturday, Mohammad Adeeb, the chairman of Indian Muslims for Civil Rights (IMCR) and former Member of Parliament, said that the Union Parliamentary Affairs minister, Kiren Rijiju, had pledged action to the All‑India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) about registering Waqf properties. Rijiju met the AIMPLB delegation on December 11 to discuss the ongoing effort to list more than five hundred thousand Waqf sites on the UMEED portal, a task that was due to finish on December 6.
The minister explained that the six‑month window given by the Waqf Amendment Act cannot be extended, a restriction imposed by the Supreme Court. However, to allay concerns of mutawallis—those who manage the properties—he announced that no fines would be imposed for the next three months. Those who missed the deadline would be directed to the Waqf Tribunal to seek further extensions.
Adeeb, who was part of the delegation, told LatestNewsX that he felt the minister listened attentively and treated the group with respect, promising to push forward on the issues raised. He added that the government’s willingness to hear minority voices was encouraging and that he hoped Rijiju would follow through. Adeeb noted that although the Waqf Amendment Bill had passed, several problems remain in the Act that need modification.
He also responded to comments from Jamiat Ulama‑e‑Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani about “jihad,” arguing that the term has been deliberately misused in the country. “Through the media and the government, a narrative has been created that jihad means killing and violence,” Adeeb said, echoing Madani’s explanation that “jihad is a pure concept; it means raising one’s voice against injustice and helping the oppressed.”
To illustrate how the notion of “jihad” can be distorted, Adeeb drew parallels with a passage from the Mahabharata, saying that Krishna’s advice to Arjuna was to fight against injustice—not to kill anyone arbitrarily. He argued that the misuse of concepts such as “land jihad” and “love jihad” is deeply wrong.
In relation to the recent Delhi terror blast, Adeeb voiced concerns that Muslims feel “targeted.” He described the closure of Al Falah University as an injustice, noting that the institution had been established by the government and that medical students in their third, fourth and fifth years had their studies abruptly halted. “We agree that those arrested were the doctors involved in the attack,” he said, “but shutting down a university and canceling its licence within 24 hours seems disproportionate.”
Adeeb warned that many terror‑related cases end up with defendants acquitted after years of legal proceedings, resulting in a loss of life’s worth of years for the accused. He argued that security agencies often rush to produce outcomes, which leads to low conviction rates, and advocated for a thorough investigation that captures the real perpetrators and delivers the maximum punishment deserved.
Finally, Adeeb criticized the suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir for laying a foundation stone for a Babri Masjid in West Bengal’s Murshidabad ahead of next year’s assembly elections. “The politics of hatred is spreading in India,” he said, questioning the decision to build a mosque in the name of a figure who came to India to loot. He lamented that the upcoming elections seem to be fought over how much one party can bully a single community.
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