Nagpur: Congress MLA Nitin Raut on Saturday called upon the Muslim community to strengthen constitutional awareness among its younger generation, saying the Constitution, the Quran and the protection of Waqf properties must become central to discussions aimed at safeguarding the community’s rights and future.Speaking at a programme organised by the All India Ulema Board at Jafar Nagar in Nagpur, Raut said the struggle for rights was not an easy one and required young people to understand the constitutional framework as well as the principles and teachings contained in the Quran. He urged community leaders and religious scholars to make a conscious effort to explain these values to the youth.Referring to Waqf properties as a community trust, Raut said their protection required vigilance and collective responsibility. “Waqf is the community’s ‘amanat’ and its protection requires us to remain alert,” he said.The programme, part of a month-long initiative being taken to different parts of the state, was organised to initiate dialogue on issues concerning minority communities. The Nagpur meeting focused on protection and transparency in the management of Waqf properties, education, social harmony, national unity, employment, women’s empowerment, youth awareness, drug addiction and the growing involvement of children below 14 years in crime.Advocate Fatima Pathan, Maharashtra president of the Muslim Wing, said the discussion on Waqf was not limited to any one property or dispute. “The larger concern is the protection of Waqf properties, transparency in their management and action wherever encroachments are found,” she said.Pathan placed equal emphasis on emerging social concerns within the community, particularly substance abuse and the increasing vulnerability of children aged 14 and 15 to criminal activities. If society failed to address these issues now, the situation could worsen significantly over the next decade, she warned.She said the initiative also marked the launch of a campaign titled ‘Mera Samvidhan, Meri Shaan’, under which copies or displays of the Preamble in Hindi would be taken to mosques, dargahs and other public spaces to make the Constitution more accessible to ordinary citizens.
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The board plans to take the campaign to smaller local-level meetings and involve maulanas, muftis, hafiz and qaris. Religious leaders would be encouraged to devote a few minutes during Friday sermons to pressing issues such as drug addiction, crimes involving children and social responsibility. Prominent community figures Shabbir Ahmed Vidrohi, Adv Qutub Zafar and others were present.
