Govt-Owned PIB’s ‘Explainer’ Wrong on Islamic Countries Not Having Waqf Properties: AltNews

New Delhi: Amid a walk-out by some Opposition MPs on Monday from a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting to examine the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the government-owned Press Information Bureau (PIB) has come out with an ‘Explainer’ which was found with some factual inaccuracies, according to fact-checking website AltNews.

Waqf, in Islamic law, “is a charitable endowment held in trust,” as per the definition in Brittanica, said the website.

Citing a section of the FAQ by PIB, AltNews wrote: “…Under the section titled, “Do all the Islamic Countries have Waqf Properties?“, the explainer stated that many Islamic countries did not have Waqf properties. It said: “No, not all the Islamic countries have Waqf properties. Islamic Countries such as Turkey, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, and Iraq do not have Waqfs. However, in India, not only are Waqf Boards the largest urban landowners, but they also have an Act protecting them legally.”

This information by PIB, is false, said AltNews, which fact-checked and found that searches done through “keywords” let them to government websites in Turkey, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Tunisia showing that these countries had Waqf properties that are referred to as ‘endowments’ in many of these countries.

Recall that during the Monsoon Session of Parliament,  on August 8, Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha, The Bills sought to amend the existing working protocol of Waqf Boards.

The Bill kicked up a row and a debate on with Opposition leaders, Muslim community leaders, activists,  accusing the Central government of “polarising constitutional liberties”. The proposed legislation was also flayed by legal experts who held that it may lead misuse of minority rights.

Thereafter, “A joint parliamentary committee consisting of 31 lawmakers — 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members — was set up to review the proposed changes in the Waqf Act, for which the committee has sought written suggestions from the general public, NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions.”