Despite the criticism by opponents calling the move “an attack on religious freedom”, the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board is going ahead with steps to implement its order that the sermons given by “muttawalis (caretakers)” of mosques in the state be vetted by the board, starting this Friday.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Chhattisgarh Waqf Board Chairman Salim Raj said: “Henceforth, if any muttawali plays politics or gives political statements or speaks against the government, they will face lawful action. For the first violation, we will serve them a notice, and for the second violation, we will approach the police to register an FIR against them.”

Raj said the board had requested the BJP government in the state to provide around 50 people for the work of vetting the sermons, which would have to be shared by the muttawalis with the Waqf Board on WhatsApp. “To start with, we have appointed 10 people. The speeches will have to be sent to us three to four days before the sermon. One person will go through 100 sermons in a day’s time.”

Raj claimed he was getting “threats” since he issued the order, which will come into effect from November 22. “People are calling me a kafir (non-believer) and non-Muslim.” However, he said, many Muslim religious leaders are on board. “Nearly 1,822 mosques, dargahs and khanqahs (a spiritual or religious place) have already joined our WhatsApp groups,” Raj said. There are about 3,800 mosques across the state, as per the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board.

Appointed to head the Waqf Board by the BJP government, which replaced the Congress in Chhattisgarh, Raj has been associated with the Sangh Parivar for long. He has headed the Haj Committee in Chhattisgarh, was vice-chairman of the Haj Committee of India, and is currently in-charge of the BJP’s minority cell in Chhattisgarh.

Countering the criticism by the Congress on the vetting of sermons, Raj said: “The Waqf Board has made this rule to maintain social peace and harmony, and to ensure that mosques are not turned into political addas. Mosques must be limited to worship and religious activities. But during elections, mosques are misused to damage social harmony.”

He accused the previous Congress government of doing the same. “For example, the issuing of fatwas on which candidate the Muslim community must vote for. Since the Muslim people are innocent and gullible, they believe that everything said from a masjid is Allah’s order. And that, as it has been said by the mosque, they should vote for the Congress… This needs to stop.”

Raj claimed that mosques were used by the Congress to also spread “misinformation” on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and that it was wrongly announced that the CAA was a law to drive away Muslims.

On the Congress questioning the Waqf Board’s jurisdiction to issue such an order, saying its job was “to look after waqf properties”, Raj said: “I am acting as per The Waqf Act, 1995. The Act defines the authority given to a muttawali who is the in-charge of a mosque, and he does not have the authority to give political or any such statements.”

The Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chairman also welcomed the Centre’s Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which has been objected to by the Opposition. “Several experts across India, highly knowledgeable officials have framed this legislation after a lot of research and survey… and a parliamentary committee is looking at it. Modi ji is bringing this for the Muslim community’s trust, development and progress. If this Bill had been introduced 25 years ago, the image and fate of Muslims would have been different. Today, Muslims are more backward than Dalits,” Raj said.

The waqf property has never been used for education, with people staying in some of them for the past 30-40 years at a meagre rent of Rs 30-Rs 40,” he said. The opposition to the Bill was politically motivated, Raj added. “Some Muslims are opposing it because Modi ji is bringing it. Otherwise, they would have supported it, like they did in the past when amendments were made to the waqf law… Till today, the waqf board has not done any work in the society’s interest… It has been in the possession of politicians who act as contractors of religion.”

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