Ayodhya – from symbol of discord to communal amity
LUCKNOW Ayodhya, a witness to India’s longest-ever dispute between Hindus and Muslims over a religious shrine, may eventually become a symbol of communal harmony in years to come.
The ray of hope comes from Hindus coming forward and extending support, including financial, for the proposed construction of a mosque and other utility services on the allotted 5 acres of land in Dhannipur village, 20 km from Ayodhya city.
Earlier, Muslims had come forward offering donations for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Ram temple trust, in a departure from their overt anti-Muslim stance, had invited three members from the community to the temple foundation-laying ceremony. Two of them were litigants in the title dispute case,
After the Supreme Court verdict on the contentious Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Mosque dispute in November 2019, the state government had identified and allotted 5 acres land to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board in February 2020, which was handed over to their trust on August 2, three days before the groundbreaking ceremony of Ram temple by the Prime Minister. The trust members would soon visit the village for the demarcation of the area with the boundaries clearly defined.
Athar Hussain, spokesman of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, a trust formed by the
UPSCWB for the development of the 5 acre land, says, “We are overwhelmed by the response that we are receiving from all over the world. Sixty per cent of the callers are Hindus.”
According to him, the trust will have ‘more than enough funds’ for their ambitious project, but as of now, in the absence of a bank account, they have a deluge of commitments.
He mentioned the name of one Arun Mishra of Varanasi, who is living in US for the past 30 years. He personally called and said, “I am all for the cause and it would be a pleasure to contribute in any manner.” Congress MP Abdul Khaliq from Assam has already tweeted pledging his one month’s salary for the construction of the mosque and hospital. There are many more but the trust has decided not to divulge their names till the donations actually came in.
Thus unfazed by the discordant notes from their own community leaders, the trust has opened its office in Lucknow and will open a bank account and a portal by next week to accept donations.
However, contributions from foreign countries may have to wait for some time for procedural clearances. The trust claims support of masses especially young Muslims.
The latest opposition had come on Monday from famous poet Munawwar Rana, who in a letter to the Prime Minister suggested construction of a hospital on the allotted 5 acre land instead of a mosque and utility services proposed by Sunni Waqf Board.
In his two-page letter to the PM, the contemporary poet had also expressed his willingness to donate his ancestral land, measuring 5.5 acre, along the river Sai in Rae Bareli district of the state for the construction of a mosque.
“A mosque cannot be built on the piece of land given by government or on an acquired land. Hence, I am willing to give my ancestral land in Rae Bareli for the construction of the mosque,” the poet said in the letter.
His suggestion has been dismissed by the trust as a violation of the apex court’s order. Earlier, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and other Muslim leaders had opposed the UPSCWB’s decision to accept the land for construction of the mosque.
Armed with the Supreme Court order, the trust members are moving ahead with their plan. The members would soon hold a virtual conference to finalise the architect to prepare a design as the area would also have a community kitchen.
The trust member said, “The pandemic has slowed our pace but soon we will be moving ahead,” and expressed the hope of having attendance of a galaxy of leaders at the inaugural ceremony of the complex as, under Islam, ground-breaking ceremony is not held for a mosque.
Interestingly, the trust is setting up country’s first ever Indo Islamic Research Centre, comprising a library, research centre and museum that will also depict the confluence of Islam and Indian Culture highlighting the contribution of poets Kabir and Rahim, some prime Islamic centres like Deoband and Firangi Mahal and 1857 -- the first war of Indian Independence, focusing on their various cultural and administrative aspects.
They ask , ‘ Who would not like to lay the foundation stone of a centre that would pitchfork Ayodhya as a city of communal harmony.”
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