Mumbai: In an effort to provide immediate and effective assistance to victims of hate crimes in Maharashtra, Muslim organisations, civil society groups, community leaders and legal experts have announced the launch of task forces.
The decision was made on June 8 during a meeting organised by the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM) at Mumbai’s Islam Gymkhana. The meeting was attended by several Muslim MLAs, lawyers, judges, social activists, and religious scholars. The attendees discussed the issues concerning hate speech, hate crime, the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion (Anti-Conversion) la and the planned rollout of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Jamaat-e-Islami Maharashtra president Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi, said during a press conference after the meeting that the proposed task force would
Author Dolphy D’Souza, affiliated with the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) and the Institute for Community Research Organisation (ICOR), informed that awareness drives would be conducted as preventive tactics.
The discussion focused on collectively responding to the increasing communal tension and systemic discrimination. They highlighted the need to formulate a 10-year roadmap for the community’s future.
“The meeting is not a confrontation against any government or political party; rather, it is a sincere effort to find sustainable and practical solutions to the issues faced by Muslims,” said Falahi.
Several distinguished individuals attended the meeting, including, former Bombay High Court judge Abhay Thipsay, former Rajya Sabha member Obaidullah Khan Azmi, MLAs Amin Patel, Sajid Pathan, Haroon Khan, Abu Asim Azmi, Sana Malik, and Rais Shaikh.
The meeting covered the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, the UCC, hate crimes, and democratic preservation. Attendees deliberated on expanding legal aid, grassroots education, and unified advocacy, while explicitly calling for the withdrawal of the anti-conversion law.
The Federation of Maharashtra Muslims appealed to the minority communities to remain alert, vigilant, and ensure their names are in the electoral rolls.
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