India's parliament passes bill that would change Muslim land endowments

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — India's parliament passed a controversial bill moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments while Muslim groups and opposition parties protested the move.

The bill would add non-Muslims to boards that manage waqf land endowments and give the government a larger role in validating their land holdings. The government says the changes will help to fight corruption and mismanagement while promoting diversity, but critics fear that it will further undermine the rights of the country’s Muslim minority and could be used to confiscate historic mosques and other property.

The debate was heated in both houses of parliament. The Lower House debated it Wednesday through early Thursday while in the Upper House, the fiery discussion lasted more than 16 hours into early Friday.

The Congress-led opposition firmly opposed the proposal, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory against Muslims. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lacks a majority in the Lower House, but its allies helped to pass the bill.

In the Lower House, 288 members voted for the bill while 232 were against it. Similarly, 128 favored it and 95 voted against it in the Upper House. The bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent to become law.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the bill to change a 1995 law that set rules for the foundations and set up state-level boards to administer them.

Many Muslim groups as well as the opposition parties say the proposal is discriminatory, politically motivated and an attempt by Modi’s ruling party to weaken minority rights.

The bill was first introduced in parliament last year, and opposition leaders have said some of their subsequent proposals on it were ignored. The government has said opposition parties are using rumors to discredit them and block transparency in managing the endowments.

Waqfs are a traditional type of Islamic charitable foundation in which a donor permanently sets aside property — often but not always real estate — for religious or charitable purposes. Waqf properties cannot be sold or transferred.

Waqfs in India control 872,000 properties that cover 405,000 hectares (1 million acres) of land, worth an estimated $14.22 billion. Some of these endowments date back centuries, and many are used for mosques, seminaries, graveyards and orphanages.

In India, waqf property is managed by semi-official boards, one for each state and federally run union territory. The law would require non-Muslims to be appointed to the boards.

Currently, waqf boards are staffed by Muslims, like similar bodies that help administer other religious charities.

During the parliamentary debate, Home Minister Amit Shah said non-Muslims would be included in waqf boards only for administration purposes and helping run the endowments smoothly. He added that they were not there to interfere in religious affairs.

“The (non-Muslim) members will monitor whether the administration is running as per law or not, and whether the donations are being used for what they were intended or not,” he said.

Muslim groups, like The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said such comments were against the fundamentals of Islamic endowments as such bodies necessarily need to be governed by Muslims only. The board said the bill was “a blatant infringement on the constitutional rights of Muslim citizens” and called on citizens to hit the streets against it.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, said why should waqf bodies allow non-Muslims as members when Hindu temple trusts don’t allow people of other religions in their fold.

One of the most controversial changes is to ownership rules, which could impact historical mosques, shrines and graveyards since many such properties lack formal documentation as they were donated without legal records decades, and even centuries, ago.

Other changes could impact mosques on land held in centuries-old waqfs.

Radical Hindu groups have laid claim to several mosques around India, arguing they are built on the ruins of important Hindu temples. Many such cases are pending in courts.

The law would require waqf boards to seek approval from a district level officer to confirm the waqfs’ claims to property.

Critics say that would undermine the board and could lead to Muslims being stripped of their land. It’s not clear how often the boards would be asked to confirm such claims to land.

“The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights,” Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition leader, wrote on social media platform X. He said the bill was an “attack on the Constitution” by the BJP and its allies “aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future.”

While many Muslims agree that waqfs suffer from corruption, encroachments and poor management, they also fear that the new law could give India’s Hindu nationalist government far greater control over Muslim properties, particularly at a time when attacks against minority communities have become more aggressive under Modi, with Muslims often targeted for everything from their food and clothing styles to inter-religious marriages.

Last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its annual report that religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate while Modi and his party “propagated hateful rhetoric and disinformation against Muslims and other religious minorities” during last year’s election campaign.

Modi’s government says India is run on democratic principles of equality and no discrimination exists in the country.

Muslims, who are 14% of India’s 1.4 billion population, are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation but they are also the poorest, a 2013 government survey found.

Raza Academy members shout slogans in Mumbai, India, to condemn the Waqf amendment bill that was passed early Thursday by the Lower House of India's parliament, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Raza Academy members shout slogans in Mumbai, India, to condemn the Waqf amendment bill that was passed early Thursday by the Lower House of India's parliament, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

A Kashmiri Muslim woman prays inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri man repairs a generator inside the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri Muslim man prays inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri man walks inside the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri Muslims pray inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Bashir Ahmad, a Kashmiri shopkeeper, rests at his shop inside the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri Muslim man prays inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri men purchase shoes inside the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

An elderly Kashmiri man talks on his cell phone outside the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

An elderly Kashmiri man carries a plastic sack filled with fabric as he walks outside the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri Muslims pray inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A man looks from a window near the Auqaf Market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri Muslims pray inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri Muslims pray inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri Muslim man prays inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Muslim man offers prayers at Mahim Dargah, a Muslim shrine in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A Muslim man offers prayers at Mahim Dargah, a Muslim shrine in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

People arrive to offer prayers at Haji Ali Dargah, a Muslim shrine by the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

People arrive to offer prayers at Haji Ali Dargah, a Muslim shrine by the Arabian Sea coast in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslims leave after offering prayers at Mahim Dargah, a Muslim shrine in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A Kashmiri Muslim man prays inside the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, commonly known as Dastageer Sahib, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil will prioritize trade negotiations with the United States to address the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump as it is continues to expand commercial agreements with other countries as a way to offset the impact, a top foreign trade official said Thursday.

“The guidance from the minister and Vice President (Geraldo Alckmin) is to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate,” Foreign Trade Secretary Tatiana Prazeres said at an online event hosted by the Brazil-China Business Council. “We have an open dialogue with U.S. authorities."

Brazilian imports to the United States have faced a 10% tariff since last week. Steel, one of Brazil’s key exports to the U.S., has been subject to a 25% tariff since March.

The United States is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner, behind China. In 2024, the U.S. trade surplus with Brazil reached $28.6 billion in goods and services.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said publicly that Brazil doesn’t rule out retaliation but remains committed to dialogue with the U.S.

Brazilian officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Development have held meetings with the Trump administration for over five weeks, according to a top official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Talks began after the U.S. imposed the 25% tariff on Brazilian steel. Brazil has argued that it is a key supplier of semi-finished steel to the U.S., underscoring the integrated nature of the trade: for example, the same ships that bring U.S. coal to Brazil return carrying semi-finished steel, critical to the American industry. Brazilian officials have also warned that penalizing Brazil could strengthen Asian competitors, particularly those backed by China.

When the 10% tariff was announced on April 2, Brazilian officials felt a certain relief, as they believed the weeks-long negotiations may have helped avoid a worst-case scenario of higher tariffs.

Still, the extra taxes have raised concern and uncertainty.

Brazil’s top exports to the U.S. include crude oil, aircraft, coffee, cellulose and beef. Orange juice exports are also expected to be significantly affected, as the U.S. accounts for the majority of the exports.

Prazeres said Thursday the U.S. trade war could bring some opportunities. “In the past, during the first version of the trade war, we saw an increase in Brazil’s soybean exports to China. But that’s not the scenario we hope for, because the risks are very significant,” she said.

Brazilian authorities are also tracking the potential impact of a surge in Asian exports that are no longer reaching the U.S. market. “We are monitoring significant, atypical changes in trade flows,” Prazeres added.

While continuing talks with the U.S., Brazil is also working to expand its trade agreements with other countries and blocs. Prazeres highlighted recent deals signed between the Mercosur bloc and Singapore in 2023, and the European Union in 2024. The EU agreement has yet to be ratified by member countries in both regions.

Last week, VP Alckmin said the trade tensions triggered by Trump’s tariffs could help accelerate the conclusion of the Mercosur–European Union agreement.

A worker organizes fabric at a textile manufacturer in Sao Paulo, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)