Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Condemns Demolition of Mosques and Madrasas, Calls It a 'National Shame'

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has strongly condemned the ongoing demolition drives targeting mosques, madrasas, and Muslim-majority settlements in several Indian states, describing the actions as a "national shame."

According to an Indian newspaper on Monday, the organization alleged that there has been an alarming pattern of selectively targeting Muslim religious institutions in recent months and called for an immediate end to such actions.

JIH National Secretary Shafi Madani said a delegation from the organization visited the border districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur in Rajasthan between June 29 and July 2. During the visit, the delegation met affected families, lawyers, and members of civil society to assess the situation.

Madani claimed that over the past month, several mosques have been partially or completely demolished in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi under the pretext of eviction drives and infrastructure development projects. He alleged that in Rajasthan's border areas, mosques, dargahs, and madrasas were demolished during security operations, causing widespread concern among local residents.

He further alleged that in many cases, authorities acted without following due legal process and demolished religious structures located on privately owned land. Madani also claimed that while places of worship belonging to other religious communities remained untouched in similar circumstances, Muslim religious sites were being selectively targeted.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind urged affected residents to continue pursuing constitutional and legal remedies and pledged full legal and moral support to those impacted. The organization also praised members of the Hindu community in Barmer, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer for standing in solidarity with affected Muslims.

At the same press conference, JIH Vice President Professor Salim Engineer expressed concern over corruption, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and increasing political polarization. He said that strengthening transparency, the rule of law, accountability, and constitutional values is essential to safeguarding India's democracy.