Ayodhya Muslims welcome invite to community members

AYODHYA:Muslims of this temple town have welcomed the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra’s decision to invite three Muslims for the Ram temple bhumi pujan on Wednesday.

Two of the invitees, Iqbal Ansari and Mohammad Sharif, belong to Ayodhya, while the third one, Zafar Farooqui, is chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board and lives in Lucknow.

Wahid Qureshi, 50, who resides near the Ram Janmabhoomi (RJB) campus, and three other Muslim families have been witness to the temple movement, including the demolition of the disputed shrine and the devastation, thereafter.

Qureshi said the invitation to Muslims was not only a goodwill gesture from the trust but a positive sign for future generations of Ayodhya and rest of the country.

“Years of litigation led to strained relations between Hindu and Muslim litigants of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute,” said Qureshi. “But the invitation to three Muslims, especially two from Ayodhya, has sent a positive signal to not only Muslims of Ayodhya but also the rest of the country,” he added.

Qureshi’s neighbour Athar Ali (in his 50s), whose house is also near the Ram Janmabhoomi campus, has welcomed the invitation to Muslims for the bhumi pujan.

“This will end years of bitterness between the two communities. The invitation has sent a positive signal to Muslims across India,” said Athar.

“This invitation will also play a major role in helping both the communities foster peace and harmony,” added Athar.

“Even before construction of the temple, Ayodhya is witnessing a lot of activity. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, economic activity in the city has picked up,” said Zafar Rizwan of Tedi Bazar area. “The trust has invited three Muslims for the bhumi pujan. Frankly speaking no Muslim was expecting this. This decision has gone down well with Muslims,” said Rizwan.