A video of Sarwar Chishti, a member of the Anjuman Committee of the Ajmer dargah, went viral on social media on Wednesday (11th September).
He was seen inciting Muslims to hit the streets and create chaos under the pretext of opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill of 2024.
“It’s a matter of shame that our dignity is at risk. Our houses are being bulldozed, mobs lynching us and mosques, dargahs and mazars are being demolished,” he was heard saying.
Chishti lamented, “The Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 has been brought in by the government. We are asking Muslims to scan the QR Code and ensure the rejection of the bill. As of 10th September, only 40 lakh Muslims have scanned the QR code.” “Why are you sleeping, Miyan? You will have to hit the roads soon. You have already been late in retaliation by unnecessarily tolerating injustice,” the Khadim of the Ajmer Dargah continued to provoke.
“A person who tolerates injustice is worse than a cruel person. You are living in a democratic country at least use those rights. Why are you not doing it?” he pleaded with Muslims to create a law and order situation
“I have said this before and want to say it again from my heart – Please acknowledge someone as your leader. I see Asaduddin Owaisi bravely raise his voice over issues (concerning Muslims),” Sarawar Chishti added. He was seen endorsing Maulana Tauqir Raza and Sajjad Nomani, the radical Islamic preacher behind the Bhagwa Love trap conspiracy theory.
On 6th July 2022, Sarwar Chishti provoked Muslims to act against those who make alleged blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The situation in the country right now, is such that people are committing blasphemy. They are doing mischief in the glory of the Prophet, in the glory of the Khwaja. We will not tolerate this at all. We will launch such a massive agitation that the whole Hindustan will shake,” he had threatened. A few days later, an audio clip went viral on social media wherein the radical Islamic preacher was heard calling for an economic boycott of the Hindu community.
“No one should buy anything from their shops in the Dargah Bazar area and the Nalla Bazar area. They earn only through the lovers of the Khwaja Sahab. And see what courage they are attempting, they are closing the shops in front of us. They are supporting Nupur Sharma. Spread this word everywhere you can, so that no one transacts a single rupee with them,” he was heard saying. Sarwar Chishti was also caught on camera inciting a group of Muslims. In a viral video, he was seen saying that Muslims were the rulers of India for hundreds of years and that by changing the names of railway stations, the current government could erase the fact that Muslims ruled the country. He had warned the administration saying that such activities would only force the Muslims to aim to rule India again. In 2020, Chishti glorified the Islamic terror outfit ‘People’s Front of India (PFI)’ as an organisation that was supposedly “trying to save the Indian Constitution.” Sarwar Chishti’s nephew Gauhar Chishti gave ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ calls demanding the beheading of Nupur Sharma and those who allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad. He also met Kanhaiya Lal’s killers, who were brutally was killed in Udaipur for sharing a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma.
The Waqf Act 1995 empowers the Waqf Board to declare any property or building as Waqf property in the name of charity. Recently
, it came to light that the Waqf Board has issued notifications to declare protected monuments as Waqf properties, resulting in conflicts with the rights granted under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on 8th August this year, proposed several major changes to the Waqf Act. One of the most significant is the removal of contributions by non-Muslims. It changed the definition of ‘Waqf’, which states that it is the dedication of any movable or immovable property by a person practicing Islam for at least five years.
It added that the creation of waqf-alal-aulad (An endowment for the family of the donor) should not result in the denial of inheritance rights of heirs, including women heirs of the donor. The amendment further added maintenance of widows, divorced women and orphans to the use of proceeds of such dedicated property. The amendment introduced the position of Collector who would exercise powers some of which were once vested with the Waqf Board. The new act mandated all registered waqfs to file details of the waqf and properties dedicated to the waqf.
The amendment added a provision to stop the misappropriation of govt land by claiming to be waqf property. It stated that any government property ‘identified’ or ‘declared’ as waqf, before or after the Amendment, should not be deemed to be waqf property. In case of dispute, the collector would conduct an inquiry. As per current law, the decision of the Tribunal in case of any dispute regarding waqf property is final, which can’t be challenged. The amendment changes this, saying that a suit can be constituted within a period of two years from the publication of the list of waqf properties.
Section 40 the waqf act, which allows the board to collect information regarding any property which it has reason to believe to be waqf property, has been abolished. It further states that two non-Muslilm members will be appointed to the Waqf Board, apart from two women members. Creation of waqf without execution of a waqf deed has been stopped, and the Collector will conduct an inquiry into the genuineness of the application. If it is found to be disputed or govt property, registration won’t be done.
An alarming moment
Radical Islamic preachers across the country are making inflammatory speeches and brainwashing Muslim youth about the Waqf Amendment Bill of 2024. They are building consensus at the ground level and carrying out a nefarious campaign to set the foundation for large-scale riots in the name of Islam. The playbook was in force during the anti-CAA agitation of 2019 in Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar, which later culminated in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020.
If the likes of Sarwar Chishti continue to incite, provoke, and spew venom, then, India can easily witness an alarming law and order situation across the length and breadth of the country. The governments both at the State and Centre must act against radical Islamic preachers with all their might and quash any movement designed to hold the administration to ransom.
