Progressive Muslim groups oppose AIMPLB’s ‘Save India, Save Shariat’ campaign, call for gender-just reforms
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A group of progressive Muslim activists, women’s rights advocates and intellectuals on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) opposed the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s nationwide ‘Save India, Save Shariat’ campaign, arguing that it defends patriarchal personal laws, sidelines gender equality and risks deepening political polarisation.
In a joint statement issued on September 22, the signatories said the campaign could strengthen narratives portraying Muslims as opposed to constitutional law, while diverting attention from what they described as the need to reform Muslim personal law and secure equal rights for women.
Actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak and Amol Palekar, activist Tushar Gandhi, dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai, Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali, activist Teesta Setalvad and academic and activist Ram Puniyani are among the 92 signatories listed in the statement.
One of their principal objections is that the AIMPLB’s campaign could, in their view, provide political ammunition to the BJP and Sangh Parivar by allowing them to portray themselves as defenders of constitutional principles while suggesting that Muslims seek a separate legal framework.
The signatories also challenged the AIMPLB’s defence of Muslim personal law, arguing that existing provisions and practices reflect male-dominated and patriarchal interpretations rather than an immutable religious code.
They cited the AIMPLB’s affidavit before the Supreme Court in the Shayara Bano triple talaq case, criticising arguments it had made regarding differing divorce rights for men and women.
The statement further argued that constitutional guarantees of religious freedom under Articles 25 to 30 must be read alongside Articles 14 and 15, which guarantee equality before the law and prohibit discrimination on grounds including sex and religion.
Referring to reforms undertaken in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Morocco, the signatories called for the codification and reform of Muslim personal law in India.
They sought equal rights for Muslim women on issues including minimum marriage age, polygamy, divorce, inheritance, child custody and adoption, and also called for an end to practices such as female genital mutilation and halala.
At the same time, the statement criticised the BJP and Hindutva organisations for what the signatories described as selective advocacy of Muslim women’s rights in the Uniform Civil Code debate, while accusing them of pursuing policies and political campaigns detrimental to Muslims.
The signatories also said the AIMPLB’s focus on “saving Shariah” ignored more immediate concerns facing sections of the Muslim community, including socio-economic marginalisation, security, education and employment.
They called on civil society organisations and political parties to support what they described as a “gender-just, religion-neutral” Uniform Civil Code rooted in equality and human rights, while opposing its use for political or communal polarisation.
The statement was initiated by Javed Anand and Feroze Mithiborwala of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), Zakia Soman and Noorjahan Safia Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), Shamsuddin Tamboli of Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal and Bader Sayeed of Roshni.
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