In a letter, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath denounced the misappropriation of properties belonging to Christian fishermen families in Ernakulam district. After intense debate, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, proposed in early August, was referred to a joint parliamentary committee. But Muslims fear central government control.
Kochi () – The Syro-Malabar Church has submitted to the Joint Parliamentary Committee a formal request to support the revision of the Waqf law, the so-called Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which would amend the 1995 law. This is a regulation that would regulates the possession of property donated to Islamic charities.
In a letter dated September 10, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, chairman of the Syro-Malabar Public Affairs Commission (SMPAC), denounces the misappropriation of properties belonging to Christian families in the Ernakulam district of Kerala state in southern India by the Waqf Board. According to the Church, this situation has led to lengthy legal battles and put some 600 families at risk of eviction.
The people involved, who live in the villages of Cherai and Munambam, are mainly fishermen, a community that has lived on these lands for generations. However, their properties have been claimed as “waqf” – property that, according to Islamic law, belongs to Muslim religious bodies.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has also written to the Secretariat of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) supporting legislative intervention to amend the law and prevent further cases of expropriation. The two church organisations have requested the Parliamentary Commission to take immediate and definitive measures to resolve the tensions, asking that the amendments to the law be based on constitutional and humanitarian principles.
According to representatives of the Syro-Malabar Church, the government should consider the “tragic situation” of these families, who risk being expelled from their homes under “totally unjust and inhuman” demands, said a source close to the Church. “These people belong to a community of poor fishermen. Along with their houses, there is a Catholic parish church, a convent and a dispensary that risk being evacuated to accommodate the demands of the Waqf Board,” the source continued, stressing the gravity of the situation.
On September 27, the people of Munambam will hold a demonstration at Vanchi Square in the historic centre of Fort Kochi to denounce the unjust demands of the Waqf Board and demand that their rights be protected.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 with the aim of overhauling the management of properties designated as “waqf” across India. Many opposition leaders argue that the amendment could reignite communal tensions. One of the key provisions calls for the inclusion of two non-Muslims and at least two women in the Central Waqf Council, which will advise central and local governments and Waqf commissions. After intense debate, the bill was referred to a joint parliamentary committee comprising several MPs and senators.
There are still scores of unresolved legal cases over waqf properties, and in Kerala, a state with a strong Christian and Muslim presence, these disputes have created social and religious tensions. Muslim leaders fear that the new law will further marginalise the Islamic community by introducing greater government control over religious properties that have hitherto been managed solely by the Waqf Board.
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