by Maktoob
Muslim organisations, civil society groups, legislators, legal experts and community leaders in Maharashtra have announced plans to establish a task force to provide immediate assistance to victims of hate crimes and strengthen efforts to address issues affecting the Muslim community.
The announcement was made following a consultative meeting organised by the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM) at Mumbai’s Islam Gymkhana on June 8.
The meeting brought together Muslim MLAs, former judges, lawyers, social activists and religious scholars to discuss concerns including hate crimes, hate speech, the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion (Anti-Conversion) law and the proposed implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Jamaat-e-Islami Maharashtra president Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi said the proposed task force would focus on providing immediate support to victims of hate crimes.
Dolphy D’Souza, associated with the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) and the Institute for Community Research Organisation (ICOR), said awareness campaigns would also be conducted as a preventive measure.
Participants discussed the need for a coordinated response to what organisers described as a growing climate of communalism and administrative discrimination.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.