Jamiat Backs Andhra Waqf Board Days After Centre Denounced "Hate Campaign" Against Ahmadiyya Muslims

The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a prominent Muslim organisation in India, expressed support for the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board's position on the Ahmaddiya Muslims.

They passed a resolution stating that the Ahmaddiya community is non-Muslim.

The Jamiat said that its Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board's stance reflects the "unanimous position of the entire Muslims".

The Islamic organisation has taken a position in direct opposition to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs that had recently intervened on the matter on behalf of Ahmadiyya Muslims.

On 21 July, the Ministry sent a strongly worded letter to the Andhra Pradesh government, criticising the state Waqf Board's resolution as a "hate campaign" that could have nationwide repercussions.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community submitted a representation on 20 July, highlighting the opposition they face from certain Waqf Boards. These boards have been passing illegal resolutions to declare the Ahmadiyya community as outside the fold of Islam.

The Ministry's letter to Chief Secretary Andhra Pradesh K S Jawahar Reddy stated that such actions constitute a hate campaign against the Ahmadiyya community.

The letter emphasised that the Waqf Board lacks the jurisdiction and authority to determine the religious identity of any community, including the Ahmadiyyas.

The Ministry asked the AP Chief Secretary to intervene in the matter.

However, this resolution was challenged in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which issued an order suspending the operation of the resolution on an interim basis.

Despite the orders from the High Court, the Waqf Board went on to issue a second proclamation in February of this year.

The proclamation stated, “In consequent to the Fatwa of Jamaitul Ulema, Andhra Pradesh dated May 26th, 2009, the ‘Quadiani community’ is proclaimed as ‘kafir’ and not a Muslim. Accordingly, it has been acclaimed all over the globe inconsonance with the fatwa issued by many authoritative worldwide organisations and Islamic Universities".

The Ahmadiyya community is a sub-sect of Sunni Muslims and is one of the most persecuted sects within the Muslim community.

In countries like Pakistan, they have been declared non-Muslims and are often referred to as Quadianis as a derogatory term.

The Jamiat said that Union Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani's insistence on a different view on the matter is deemed "unwarranted and illogical" since the primary purpose of the Waqf Board is to safeguard the endowments and interests of Muslims, as defined in the Waqf Act.

"Therefore, properties and places of worship belonging to a community that is not recognised as Muslim do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Board…," the Jamiat said in its statement on Tuesday (25 July), reports The Indian Express.

The Jamiat, an Islamic organization, further stated that the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya community differ from the fundamental beliefs of Islam, particularly regarding the finality of Prophethood. As a result, it said, all Islamic schools of thought agree that the Ahmadiyya community is non-Muslim.

"The religion of Islam rests on two fundamental beliefs: Tawheed, affirming the oneness of Allah and the belief that Prophet Muhammad is the final Messenger of Allah. Both of these beliefs are integral components of the five basic pillars of Islam. Contrary to these essential Islamic beliefs, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani took a position that challenges the concept of the finality of Prophethood. In light of this principled and factual difference, there is no basis to consider Qadianism as an Islamic sect, and all Islamic schools of thought agree that this group is non-Muslim," the Jamiat added.