Prayagraj: All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board President and noted social activist Shaista Ambar on Friday came out strongly in support of the newly enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
She also called for stringent action on those who used the Waqf properties for their personal benefits and also urged the Muslim body to work with the government in identifying the illegal occupants and freeing the Waqf land from their control.
Speaking to IANS, Ambar said, “Those who have acted against the principles and laws of Waqf regarding Waqf properties must be held accountable. Waqf land cannot be sold, purchased, or donated because it was donated by a Muslim in the name of God for the betterment of society, especially for those who are economically and socially weak.”
She asserted that the fundamental purpose of Waqf is to uplift the community, making the underprivileged self-reliant and capable of giving back to society.
“If people have used the Waqf properties for their personal benefit, then they should be investigated, and if found guilty, the land should be confiscated from them,” she said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on April 3 and the Rajya Sabha on April 4, officially becoming law on April 8.
Shaista Ambar stressed that Waqf properties should be used for constructive purposes such as shelter homes for Muslim women, children, orphans, elderly people, educational institutions, madrasas, mosques, graveyards, factories, hospitals, and other welfare-oriented facilities.
“This will enable Muslims, especially women and the backward sections, to join the mainstream of development and contribute to the progress of the country,” she said.
She also appealed to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which has opposed the new law, to work with the government in identifying scams and frauds within the Waqf system.
“The AIMPLB should consult with the government, identify the frauds, free the land from illegal occupation, and build shelter homes for women. Let those women become officers, judges, political leaders and good citizens,” she said.
Ambar lashed out at the INDIA bloc and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for their opposition to the Waqf Act, calling them “hungry for power.” She questioned their silence on the mismanagement of Waqf land during previous governments, especially under Congress rule.
“Where were they all these years? Congress ruled for decades — can they name even one example where any of their Muslim leaders did anything meaningful with Waqf land? Did they open any colleges, universities, hospitals, or shelter homes?” she asked.
She also recounted how Muslim women once had to build their own mosque after being denied entry into others, highlighting the lack of support from the very groups now opposing the Waqf reforms.
“They never raised their voice for women’s equality then. Now they are opposing reforms that aim to clean up the Waqf system,” she added.
Ambar revealed that she has long raised her voice against illegal activities within the Waqf Board but was repeatedly ignored. She mentioned that she wrote to former Presidents, including Pratibha Devi Singh Patil and Parnab Mukherjee, and in 2017, she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised her demands of freeing the Waqf properties from illegal occupation.
She proposed that housing and training centres be built on Waqf land for divorced Muslim women and also slammed the UPA government for failing to implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee report.
“The new Waqf Act was important because many people in the Waqf Board illegally benefitted while the truly needy — poor, women, widows, elderly — continued to suffer,” she said.
(IANS)
