JUH Demands Rehabilitation for Muslim Families in Goalpara
New Delhi/Goalpara- Acting on the direction of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani, a high-level delegation of the organization visited the Goalpara district of Assam on July 15, where a recent demolition drive by the state government resulted in the destruction of 3,973 houses in the Ashudubi and Hasilabil areas. Most of the displaced families belong to the Bengali-origin Muslim minority.
It is worth noting that Jamiat Ulama Assam has stepped in to provide immediate relief, setting up temporary shelters (tents) for the displaced families and initiating efforts to support the affected population. The delegation met with affected families, visited the demolition sites, and assessed the on-ground humanitarian situation. Deeply moved by the scale of displacement and suffering, the delegation extended assurance of all possible support from the organization.
A memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, through the District Magistrate, calling the demolition drive inhuman, unconstitutional, and driven by religious discrimination. The memorandum highlighted that demolition was selectively carried out in Muslim-majority areas, particularly targeting Bengali-origin Muslim residents, while similar settlements of other communities remained untouched—an alarming case of state bias and discrimination.
Over 32,530 Displaced in 2 Years – Urgent Call for Compensation and Resettlement
The memorandum also noted that many of the affected families have been residing in these areas for over 70 to 80 years, and are legitimate Indian citizens, many of whom were earlier displaced by erosion caused by the Brahmaputra River. Evicting them without due process violates legal rights, constitutional protections, and Supreme Court directives. In several cases, the demolitions were allegedly executed to serve private or industrial interests, with no prior notice given to the occupants. The memorandum strongly demanded immediate rehabilitation and compensation for all affected families, utilization of government khas land available in Assam for relocation, provision of interim relief, including food and shelter, until permanent arrangements are made.
Preliminary Fact-Finding Report
Jamiat Ulama Assam According to a preliminary report submitted by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal (President, Jamiat Ulama Assam) and Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Qasmi (General Secretary), the demolition drives from November 2023 to July 2025 have affected a total of 8,115 families across Goalpara, Dhubri, and Nalbari districts, displacing more than 32,530 individuals, including women, children, and the elderly. The report further documents the demolition of 21 mosques, 44 maktabs/madrasas, and 9 Eidgahs, reflecting the disproportionate targeting of religious and community institutions. While Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has initiated relief efforts by providing food, shelter, and medical aid, the current resources are inadequate to meet the scale of the crisis. Urgent and expanded government intervention is essential to address the humanitarian emergency and restore justice to the displaced.
About Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
Founded in 1919, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is the largest and most influential organization of Indian Muslims, with a glorious history of courage and self-sacrifice. It has played a focal role in the social and political life of the country and the Muslim minority. Its members participated in the freedom struggle from British colonialism with relentless fervour and championed the cause of united nationalism between Muslims and non-Muslims. It is actively involved in securing the religious and social rights of Indian Muslims through peaceful and democratic means. Currently the organization has more than ten million members and 1,700 branch offices covering the entire length and breadth of the country.
Though formally established in 1919, the chain of events leading to the inception of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind goes back several centuries, all the way back to the life and times of the great eighteenth-century social reformer Shah Waliullah of Delhi. This illustrious Islamic scholar and thinker was witness to the gradual decline of the Mughal Empire, fuelled by the rampant corruption of its later rulers. His disappointment at the degeneration of the ruling classes, coupled with the depredations of European imperialism, found expression in a desire to remodel all aspects of Muslim life-including its religious, social, political and cultural dimensions-through the espousal of ijtihad (independent reasoning) and the rejection of taqlid (unquestioning acceptance).
From 1808 to 1915, many ulama inspired by Waliullah’s ideology took up arms against the oppressive British rule. A particularly daunting moment arrived in the aftermath of the Great Revolt of 1857 when ulama were made to bear the brunt of British retribution in light of their revolutionary past. This was evident from the fact that, of the 200,000 Indians martyred in the rebellion, more than 50,000 were ulama.
The first half of the twentieth century witnessed a paradigm shift in strategy on the part of the revolutionary ulama. In particular, they were forced them to reform and reorganize their freedom struggle in 1916 after the failure of the Silk Letter Movement. In November 1919, the ulama, under the aegis of Shaykh al-Hind, resolved to constitute a new organization called Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind for spearheading the non-violent struggle in line with the mainstream nationalist movement. It was this strategy that eventually led to the freedom of the country.
Post-1947, the Jamiat reinvented itself by abandoning active politics. Once its political goal of independence was achieved, it chose to devote its energies to safeguarding the religious and social rights of the minority community. In free India, Muslims have to suffer from many challenges. The Jamiat transformed itself into an organization that would be at the helm in dealing with these issues. Besides educational, social and welfare activities, it currently works in multifarious fields, including relief and rehabilitation work for victims of communal violence and natural disasters. The promotion of religious tolerance constitutes a central tenet of its philosophy. In their view, Muslims and non-Muslims are equal citizens of this country and have entered a mutual contract to establish a secular state. The constitution of India represents this contract. Hence, it is the duty of every Indian Muslim to express loyalty to the constitution.
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