Of Waqf land and Church estates…
…or Shantanu’s Believe it or Not – Part IV.
Did you know these facts? Courtesy, a Sept ’09 report by Saba Naqvi in Outlook (“Allah’s Left The Building”):
4 lakh acres is the land Wakf properties account for. According to the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, K. Rahman Khan, this makes the board the third-largest landholder after the railways and defence.
…and courtesy, an Aug ‘2009 report from IBN (“Debate rages on over Catholic Church properties” by D P Satish):
The Catholic Church in India owns the largest chunk of non-agricultural land, and is known as the second largest employer after the Government of India.It’s annual budget equals that of the Indian Navy
And in this same country – with a majority Hindu population to boot, the “secular” faithfuls scream about a temporary land transfer that would have helped Hindu pilgrims. Sigh.
Read the earlier parts in this series of “Shantanu’s Believe It or Not!” here: Part I, Part II and Part III
How did Wakf’s and Church acquire such vast estates is a question that is never asked. The fact that the oppressive, inhuman Colonial govts, Islamic and British stole land from the hapless Hindus is not something to be mentioned in polite conversations.
The same land grab and resource grab of Hindus is continuing even now.
Do read BarbarIndian’s latest post frm which a brief extract:
The troubling thing is, due to the British legacy, the community owns disproportionately high amount of real estate, in prime locations all over. They are obviously out of bounds. But of course, they have nothing to fear, forget about those large swathes of tax free land – the municipal body of India’s largest city can’t even touch tiny recently built structures for almost a decade.
What is so surprising? Secularism ki jai ho!!! We will forever debate about the acute differences between secularism and pseudo-secularism, would not we? Those like Harsh Mander would scream at the end of their well-fed lungs to support this new zaminders in the name of secularism and rest of the liberal retards would provide support to these voices.
But there are new schemes to take more land out of the hands of the Hindus. Take new Islamic Banking for example. Look at their asset practices. Islam does not allow them to charge interest so they will own the land and treat the loan-holder as a tenant. Nearly every Indian state has a ceiling of land any individual can own. With Islamic banking, that restriction will be removed because that would hinder the banking practices. If this banking goes big (since the banking is closely linked with Islamic charities, it would not lack any capital) it means soon these banks will be the biggest land holder in this country.
Then the church and Islamic banks would tell us that since the land is owned by them, we should not have any right to this land, our land. What Cherokees and Apaches experienced three centuries back in the hand of the grand old followers of church of love and peace in North America, we will experience soon.
Kerala is already at the forefront of this sort of new experiments. A church-backed archeological excavation (by non-experts) recently “discovered” a new port-city in Kerala. This discovery is assumed to support the church neo-propaganda that Hinduism in Kerala arrived only after Christianity and Islam.
New colonization is here, ladies and gentlemen. Embrace it and glow in the self-reflected glory of self-righteous secularism. Or risk yourself to be called a communal. Ohhh, I forgot that I am an alarmist. We do not need to be worried so much, are we not?
I think conservation and transgression are two evolutionary forces that have deeply contributed to the natural evolution of all life. Both are geniunely required. While it is necessary to understand the importance of exploring and embracing new ideas, it is also important to balance and retain the solid grounding that gave us the confidence to transgress, in the first place.
A lot of mistakes and lost social debates are because of a misunderstanding or over-emphasis of one over the other. While secularism solely argues as transgression and embracing of all religions and faiths, it is sole responsibility of hindus to preserve their identity for in seeking identity lies the power of religion. We don’t have teach this to christianity and Islam. Sadly, we have to be taught about our responsibility to the evolutionary forces of “preservation” – protecting what we have.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waqf, quoting the Sachar Committee report, 5lakh registered Wakfs own 6 lakh acres (not 4lakhs as quoted in the Outlook article)
Pls check this Feb 9th 2011 article (http://catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5598):Competitive “backwardness” of Christians in relation to poverty, land ownership and education.
Wonder if anyone has done a proper detailed comparative study on land ownership by Wakfs, the church and by temples?
Are the Hindus facing a crisis a real-estate crisis in the future?
Why leave out agricultural land?
Congressi, British fooled us. While British left black british to loot us further. One example is “India is the largest arms importer”. I’m sure (havn’t checked facts though) Pakistan is also among top importers. Who are the largest exporters? US n UK?
British, when the left, made sure that we will keep on fighting and they will export the arms to us. Shame that such simple thing isn’t visible to the citizens and the leaders.
Are we fools? Now this all bull-shit of open economy and economic liberation looks like exploiting the developing nations.
I thought(say pseudo)liberals, are fighting for level playing field, but here its exploitation on every nook and corner.
I think now I started to understand why so many people are socialist or communist and liberals, because the liberals here are pseudo like seculars.
Jai Bharat!
Sandeep,
If India developed its own armaments industry, it would provide employment and also there will be no supply issues. If a small nation of 8 million can make Bofors Gun why can’t we?
The reason Sonia-MMS govt imports so much is because they get kickbacks.
Dear Shantanu,
I understand the angst of many of us when we read about the rulers and our deprivement. But, shouldn’t we look at ourselves, see a mirror and ascertain why this has happened.
It is my humble opinion that we are the cause for the problems that we face; our forfathers left their land to be tilled by others and came and learnt ENGLISH to become teachers and proffessors in colleges and GET a RAO BAHADUR or a “SIR” etc. from the famed rulers. Wheras the tiller stayed back retained his land and maintained it.
For eaxmple; the Syran Christians of Kerala. Many of them own Rubber Estates, but that does not prevent them from learnng and becomng teachers and professors. Many great teachers and professors and doctors have come from that breed, BUT they never lost touch with their ESTATES.
That is the reason they were able to cling on. On the other hand many of the Land Holders of Thanjavur, and other places whittled away their wealth. So do not blame the rulers,
Let us look deep into ouselves and we wll understand that one half of the problem is that we do not want to take responsibility. WE LIKE PASSING THE BUCK.
Regards,
vck
@v.c.krishnan (#10),
Very true sir. I agree with you absolutely.
@ vc krishan
You raise an important fundamental point: to quote Lincoln, “a divided house cannot stand”. There are many things on which there can be points of disagreements, but unity of thought and action on the fundamentals is imperative. If Hinduism should insist on the plaurality of thought in matters religious, then in matters political there cannot be doubt. Unfortunately, this is problematic with Hindus whose divisions are so pervasive that any difference with Muslims and Christians pales into significance. I am in no doubt that much that is cherished in Hinduism in tribal loyalties of religious and ethnic nature has to be denied oxygen to spread its poison.
Access of power/resources to representatives of a community does not translate into devolution of power/resources to its people. No cause for such heartburn 🙂
Are we empowered if our MPs obtain more land? In fact, the converse happens, it only consolidates the position of said MP as a creature above other creatures.
A study of agricultural land distribution would be the right counterfoil to the above contention. Then maybe, we might get a more balanced perspective, no?
The Kumbh mela is a nice positive example now.
why can’t people simply understand…their are 2 or 3 religions in the world and all believe in destroying native culture and then imposing their faiths respectivley…
The whole world faced bloodshed and uncounted killing because of these thoughts (Christianty)…from the South – North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia (they’re in antastica too) They destroyed Incas, Aztecs, Maya, African, Roman and Greek pagans,Indian etc.
Islam went on to destroy persian, central asians, pagan, Indian (in west India)Indonesians, malaysian, north africa(cause it was close to arabia) etc.
and the final one was marxism thought which caused havoc in eastern europe, russia, china, vietnam, cuba etc.
all three thoughts were found in the west (middle east and europe)
aah ..what can we do to save our culture of free thoughts free spirit we have to be strong and sometimes irrationale to help our cause..that’s the only way ..or just fight a dying cause..
Dear
@ Khandu patel,SID, lokatya and Twistleton,
I appreciate your comments. Shri Patel, I am sorry i do not understand your comment. I would appreciate your elaboration of the matter.
I am not bringing religion into this matter. I am just attempting to convey that we lost much of our sway over our lab holdings because we gave it up voluntarily and not willing to make any sacrifices.
To elaborate, I would like many of us to reflect and ascertain as to how many of us would like to go back, if given an opportunity with say, hypothetically, and work on the land.
I know a well qualified individual who left his job in the US and bought over a peice of REALLY DEAD DRY Land (about 50 acres) from a group of farmers near a place known as Madhuranthakam near Chennai has established a farm that produces mangoes, Coconuts and melons and a few cash crops. He has spent his time, effort and energy in putting back life into it.I do meet him when he visits Chennai during the Music Festival in December.
Looking at this person, how many of us would be willing to give up our way of life, Inoxe’s, Clubs, Theater, and other conveniences, just to do this.
Iwould also like to add here that every village between Tiruchi and Mayavaram in Tamilnadu has been set up with a few Muslim families attending to agriculture and a Mosque, whereas the persons who are selling the land are the “Original inhabitants” who have resided there for centuries, because their progeny’s do not want to soil their hand, handling “Cow Dung” but want to be “Educated” and work in BPO’s and live in the promised lands outside Bharat.
Now who is to blame “RELIGION” or the individual?
I am not religious but inward looking for a solution and want to take responsibility.
Regards,
vck
@VC Krishan
I like your suggestion. You should give wider publicity for others to benefit from example.
Dear Sir,
@Khandu patel,
That is the reason I took the opportunity provided by this blog to put it in perspective.
Religion has no role to play. It is us to take responsibility.
Please assist me in taking this idea across.
Regards,
vck
It’s not just the wakf property.Muslims are acquiring Govt land any and everywhere,even in restricted green areas.I met add commisioner police,about illegal mazar in green zone on sardar patel marg,,where all state bhawans are located.He ordered for its demolition in front of me,but no action was taken and he was transferred.Now a pucca masjid stands there apart from the mazaar.Bajrang Dal ,which normally constructs a makeshift hanuman mandir beside all such illegal masjids,declined to make such a temple there,as they do not have members in that areas..muslims need not hv volunteers.They construct out of their own free will.That construction was not removed even during CWG.
Now I can see another masjid in the green belt at dhaula kuan.
Similarly,churches and their org own prime land in delhi,in several areas.
From a July 2009 press report in Deccan Herald:
Church authorities control funds equivalent to the Indian Navy’s annual budget. The Church is also the second largest employer after the government, he said.
…“I feel the opposition from the Christians is on account of a fear that a provision for judicial scrutiny is likely to expose the expenses and magnitude of wealth of the denomination,†Thomas (K T Thomas, former Supreme Court judge) said. The head of the Believers Church had recently acquired a huge plantation in Kerala for Rs 123 crore. This was apart from the vast assets already held by the denomination, he said. The Church in Kerala also runs its own media network.
A shocking excerpt from Should the riches of a temple be used for secular purpose? by Vivek Gumaste, Jul 17, 2011:
Below is a limited but telling list of some high profile instances of chicanery that demonstrate the extent and scope of wrongdoing via the HRCE Act:
– In 2010, the Orissa government sold 500 acres belonging to the Jagannath Puri temple at a throw away price of 1 lakh per acre to the Vedanta foundation. Its efforts to sell another 1000 acres were aborted by the High Court.
– In the 1980s, the then Kerala chief minister K Karunakaran ordered the Guruvayur Temple to deposit Rs 10 crore with the state treasury to offset a government deficit. Whether this money was ever returned or not is uncertain. In addition, the temple’s land holdings were decimated from 13000 acres to 230 acres by the Land reforms Act which conveniently excluded non-Hindu institutions.
Excerpts from Waqf boards are India’s big urban landlords. But whose interest are they serving? by Amana Begam, 10 March, 2023:
…
The concept of waqf has its roots in early Islamic history, with the practice established during the time of Prophet Muhammad. During the Islamic Golden Age, waqf institutions played a critical role in the development of Islamic scholarship and education. Many of the world’s oldest universities, such as Al-Azhar University in Cairo (Egypt) and the University of Al Quaraouiyine in Fez (Morocco), were founded as waqf institutions.
History of waqf in India
Waqfs in India date back to the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate. In Waqf Laws and Administration in India (1968), authors S Athar Husain and S Khalid Rashid provide an overview of the history of waqfs. According to them, Sultan Muizuddin Sam Ghaor dedicated two villages to the Jama Masjid of Multan.
However, during the British Raj, a dispute over a qaqf property ended up in the Privy Council of London. The four British judges who heard the case described the waqf as “a perpetuity of the worst kind” and declared it invalid. It is important to note that the decision of the four judges was not accepted in India, and the Mussalman Waqf Validating Act 1913 saved the institution from destruction. Today, after the Armed Forces and the Railways, the waqf is the largest landowner in India.
….
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Ashraaf have been serving their own interest by using the numerical strength and marginalised status of Pasmanda in the name of minority politics. The waqf board is no exception. Like all other Muslim institutions in India, waqf boards are also ruled by Ashraafs and have negligible participation of Tribals, Dalits and Backward Muslims.
Pasmanda Muslims also bear the brunt of reaction coming from other communities over special privileges given to waqf boards by the 1995 Act. No other minority group has so much land for the place of worship. In fact, Hindu temples and their land still belong to the State. Additionally, waqf making claims on others’ lands only adds to the fault lines among communities and affects Pasmanda Muslims more than anyone else.
Time has come to re-examine the purpose of waqf boards and whose interest they really serve.