Dhannipur mosque project renamed after freedom fighter
The move is a tribute to Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Faizabadi who stood for communal amity, says Sunni Waqf Board
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) on Monday announced that the proposed mosque and other projects coming up on five-acre land at Dhannipur village in Ayodhya district would now be named after freedom fighter and revolutionary Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Faizabadi.
Initially, the mosque and the complex were named after the village Dhannipur. Board officials said the renaming of the mosque and the entire complex was an attempt to pay tribute to “the great freedom fighter”.
“It was a proposal from the
board members. On finding it as the best suited suggestion, we renamed the project after the freedom fighter who is seen as a symbol of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb and Hindu Muslim unity,” said Athar Hussain, spokesperson for Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF)—the trust formed by UPSCWB to ensure construction of the mosque and other public utility structures on the five- acre land at Dhannipur.
Other than the mosque, the project includes construction of a community kitchen, hospital, museum and Indo-Islamic research centre.
UPSCWB had initially made it clear that the mosque and the complex would not be named after Mughal Emperor Babur or any other ruler or king.
Prior to zeroing in on the name for the Dhannipur project, the board got several name suggestions.
“Sufi Masjid” and “Aman Masjid” were a few suggestions which the board received. The board had said that the name should suit the Indo-Islamic theme of the project.
The state government had allotted the five-acre land to the board last year in compliance with the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya land title dispute case.