The temple is coming up after the Supreme Court decided in favor of the Hindu litigants even while acknowledging that idols were surreptitiously placed in the mosque and that there was no trace of a claimed temple under the 15th century mosque.
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Several Muslim organisations have raised objections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on 22 January terming it as a mockery of justice and democracy.
Ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, the prime minister plans to inaugurate the half-constructed temple on the ruins of historic Babri Masjid. The temple is coming up after the Supreme Court decided in favor of the Hindu litigants.
The planned inauguration of the temple by the prime minister has drawn a lot of criticism from several quarters including Muslim groups.
Talking to Clarion India, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) spokesperson Qasim Rasool Ilyas said that there is no justification for involving the state machinery in the promotion of a particular religion in a secular state. “We want to say that this is religious event. It should be held by religious people. We raised objections to the involvement of the government in this function, its countrywide functions”.
Earlier in a statement issued on 13 January, AIMPLB chief Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said involvement of the government in the construction of the temple and its inauguration by the PM is the mockery of secularism and justice.
“To promote the event for political motives is like putting salt into the wounds of minorities. Therefore, All India Muslim Personal Law Board condemns this anti-secular and democratic approach,” reads the statement.
Rahmani also said construction of the temple is based on blatant injustice as the court had recognised that there was no temple underneath the demolished mosque. And there is no evidence to this issue that Shri Ram Ji was born at the very same site.
On 5 January, several Muslim leaders from different organisations issued a joint statement saying that giving governmental patronage to the inauguration function violates the constitutional secularism.
“We are greatly concerned about attempts to use the inauguration of Ram Temple for political gains. The way the events are being held across the country just ahead of the elections and are getting the government’s patronage is not just against the secular constitution of the country but also is in conflict with the spirit of justice,” reads the statement.
The statement also asserted that they are not satisfied with the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case. They also expressed concerns that the Supreme Court is hearing petitions against several historical mosques despite the 1991 Places of Worship Act does not allowing this.
“This behaviour can be a reason of damaging the faith of justice-loving people in the judiciary. Against this background, the inaugural event of Ram Temple becomes controversial,” stated the statement.
The statement was signed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind chief Syed Saadatullah Hussaini, Jamiat Ahle Hadith chief Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi and several other leaders including Ilyas.
Ilyas told Clarion India that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party aims to make the inauguration of the temple as their electoral issue claiming that it’s them who have built the temple and who had started the movement.
