Explained: What Is Munambam Waqf Issue In Kerala?
A waqf claim by the Waqf Board to some properties in Munambam in Kerala has stirred a political and social debate in the state. The dispute started in 2019 when the Waqf Board made claim over a land that was allegedly donated by Siddique Sait in 1950 to Farook College. However, the residents who are living on the land claim they purchased the land from the college management before the Waqf Act was introduced in 1954.
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In 2022, the families residing there became unable to pay their taxes at the village office. Though the issue was temporarily resolved with state government intervention, a Waqf Protection Forum challenged the decision at the High Court, leading to the order to halt tax payments of the locals again. Predominantly Christian community, several afected families approached the court, demanding some sections of the Waqf Act to be declared unconstitutional.
With the Center moving the Waqf Amendments Bill Act recently, the Catholic Church also expressed its support for the bill. When the Kerala government passed a resolutions against the Waqf Amendment Act introduced by the Union government in August, the Church slammed the legislators accusing them of betrayal, leaving both the major political fronts in the state—the LDF and UDF—in dilemma.
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However, giving the issue a political turn, the Catholic Church, which holds influence in Wayanad, the by election for which is impending, has published an editorial in its mouthpiece Deepika Daily threatening that when the MLAs pass a resolution to protect the Waqf Act without taking into account the concerns of the people of Munambam, the victims and their supporters will have to change their political stand.
The editorial also expressed its concerns over the claims made by the Waqf board over properties owned by some Christian families in Munambam.
Notably, a meeting convened by Indian Union Muslims League (IUML) leader Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, consisting of various Muslim organizations, has called for the intervention of the state government for an immediate resolution of the issue without hurting the residents living in the land.
“People residing there for years must get a satisfactory solution. Parties with vested interests are attempting to turn the land issue into a communal one,” said Thangal, adding that the issue should not be left unresolved to affect the communal harmony of the state.
IUML national secretary P K Kunhalikutty also demanded the Kerala government’s action to resolve the Munambam dispute, assuring Muslim bodies’ support for its decision. He cautioned against any delay in addressing the issue, noting that the communal groups would use the opportunity to promote divisive sentiments by targeting communities. “It is actually a technical issue, and the residents are not guilty in any way,” he said, adding that the government can resolve the issue within a single day.
Union Minister and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi had visited the demonstrators on October 31, assuring Modi-led BJP government’s support. The BJP leader said that all Waqf encroachments across the country would be resolved once the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament and made as a law. Muslims bodies have opposed the amendments to the Act, calling it another attempt to snatch away their properties and rights under the saffron government. Several amendments in the new act have met with strong opposition by Muslim organisations and opposition parties alike. The issue has assumed political charge amid the scheduled by-elections in Kerala.
