Overview

• The Imarat Shariah, a leading Muslim organization in Bihar, has officially boycotted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's government-organized Iftaar event on March 23, 2025.
• The group criticized Kumar's support for the Waqf Bill 2024, which they argue threatens the economic and educational standing of Muslims by altering Waqf property regulations.
• Key provisions of the bill include eliminating the 'waqf by user' rule, restricting Waqf property creation by recent converts, and removing a Muslim law expert from Waqf Tribunals.
• The Imarat Shariah accused Kumar of abandoning his secular commitments by aligning with the BJP and called the Iftaar event 'tokenism' that ignores substantive concerns of the Muslim community.
• Nitish Kumar and his party JD(U) have yet to respond to the boycott, which comes months before the Bihar assembly elections, where Muslim votes are traditionally significant.