How many zeros would you need to write Rs. 10 lakh crores in numbers? Mind boggling, right? That’s what we are talking about when we talk about the waqf lands in Telangana. It’s open loot as the Telangana State Waqf Board is one of the richest endowment bodies in India but in name only. 75 percent of these lands are encroached. The government is one of the biggest encroachers.
Why are we talking about Waqf lands when there are seemingly more important things on the political horizon? Because it has a direct impact on society. Let’s understand “Waqf”. Waqf typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitable purposes with no intention of reclaiming the assets.
Waqf lands can reduce social gap
Waqf lands are used for building hospitals, educational institutions, and other charitable purposes to benefit the Muslim community. If used rightly, it reduces the social gap which has a direct impact on our country’s economy. It boosts our social and economic development. Therefore, it is mistakenly perceived as a Muslim issue as one often fails to see the larger picture.
According to an analysis report by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), “reducing income inequality would boost economic growth. Countries where income inequality is decreasing grow faster than those with rising inequality. Education is the key: a lack of investment in education by the poor is the main factor behind inequality hurting growth”. Every third Muslim is multidimensionally poor. – global multidimensional poverty index (MPI), 2018 by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) & Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). MPI is an index that captures the percentage of households in a country deprived along three dimensions of well-being – monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services.
Need to reclaim Waqf lands
There is an urgent need to reclaim what is lost of the Waqf lands as over three quarters of it (57,428 acres) is under encroachment. The initial focus will be on the Hyderabad International Airport- 1100 acres which belong to Dargah Baba Sharfuddin of Pahadi Shareef Waqf, Lanco Hills- 1,654.32 acres which belong- Dargah Hazrat Syed Hussain Shah Wali Waqf, Manikonda jagir and 92 acres of Eidgah Guttala Begumpet. Where flights take off in the Hyderabad airport was once the proud Masjid e Omar Farooq stood. What more needs to be said about the state of affairs? Veterans who sacrificed precious years of their lives safeguarding Waqf properties need to lead from the front once again.
But is this fight only about Waqf lands? A resounding NO! It is also about saving our Constitution which has never been under graver threat than it is today. Human rights violations, wrongful incarcerations, clamping down on press freedom, lynching, etc. no longer shock us. The Preamble to our Constitution clearly states:
“JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;”
Do we want to lose all of this? If not, then it’s time to act. Join Mission Save the Constitution Save Waqf Property (click here) or scan below QR code.
Young and old, man, woman and other, student, the employed, the unemployed, journalist, activist, homemaker, atheist, believer, all castes and creeds, NRI,…..all of us! Let us arise! Become a Volunteer! Become a Warrior! When and where is soon to unfold…
(Sara Mathews is a noted city activist)
| Posted by Sameer Khan | 
