Muslim Personal Law Board announces movement to protect Constitutional values

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today announced that it would be launching a movement along with other organisations to preserve the fundamental values of the Constitution such as secularism, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. "This is our common minimum program through which we can save the state and the Constitution," said Maulana Wali Rehmani, general secretary, AIMPLB, at a press conference here. This was needed in view of the current environment of intolerance where the minorities, Dalits and the oppressed classes were at the receiving end and the voices representing them were being oppressed, said Rehmani. "Religious minorities and the people belonging to the oppressed classes are being made to feel they are second-class citizens with attacks on places of worship, people and their properties on the basis of religious and caste identities," said a statement issued jointly at the press conference. "The brutal and barbaric acts of targeted killing of rationalists, incidents like Dadri...and conversion of Muslims and Christians to a particular faith are a case in point. These actions mock the freedom guaranteed by our Constitution," the statement said. Maulana Sajjad Nomani, joint convener, Movement to Save Faith and Save Religion; Vaman Mishram, president BAMCEF and Dolphy D'Souza, former president, Catholic Sabha, were also present on this occasion. Nomani said this movement would strive to preserve the secular character of educational curricula too. D'Souza said that freedom of expression and speech need to be protected. "Secular bodies should raise voice about what is happening in the country," he said.