Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has shunned the Muslim Personal Law during an interview, supporting the much-debated Uniform Civil Code. In an interview he said, “If Muslim Personal Law is so integral to practising Islam, why is there no fatwa on Muslims against living in countries that don’t allow for such personal laws.”
The UCC or Uniform Civil Code has been a matter of debate ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while some are in support of the law saying that it will bring a sense of uniformity, treating every citizen irrespective of their religion, as one, some are against the law calling it a propaganda against religious practices. Khan added, “Why does everyone want to run to the US or Europe where there are no personal laws? Muslims can live as Muslims in the US and UK or in Pakistan without personal law, but India is the only exception where they cannot if personal law is not there.”
He also dismissed the cries of calling the law a ‘propaganda’ by saying, “It is not the objective of the law to create uniformity of customs, or uniformity of solemnisation of marriage. The propaganda that is being spread against UCC is that if it comes into effect, Muslim marriage cannot be solemnised through nikah.” The Kerala Governor went on by saying that even the Muslim rules who ruled over Delhi did not have a Muslim Law.
These remarks from the Governor did not sit well for some as Indian Union Muslim League MP ET Muhammed Basheer said that the UCC does not only affects the Muslims. He added, “Even now, nobody is being forced to follow the personal laws. If somebody doesn’t want to follow, they can choose not to follow it.”
There are many Muslim organisations in Kerala against the implementation of the UCC. Even the CM of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan has also termed the UCC as an “electoral agenda” and has urged the Centre to withdraw the law. Amidst the opposition against the law, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan appealed the Muslim community in Kerala not to fall for the ‘propaganda’ initiated by the CPI(M) against the UCC.
