Progressive Muslim groups oppose AIMPLB’s ‘Save India, Save Shariat’ campaign, call for gender-just reforms

A group of progressive Muslim activists, women’s rights advocates and intellectuals on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) opposed the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s nationwide ‘Save India, Save Shariat’ campaign, arguing that it defends patriarchal personal laws, sidelines gender equality and risks deepening political polarisation.

In a joint statement issued on September 22, the signatories said the campaign could strengthen narratives portraying Muslims as opposed to constitutional law, while diverting attention from what they described as the need to reform Muslim personal law and secure equal rights for women.

Actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak and Amol Palekar, activist Tushar Gandhi, dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai, Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali, activist Teesta Setalvad and academic and activist Ram Puniyani are among the 92 signatories listed in the statement.