Shia community backs Ram temple

Lucknow: The Shia Central Waqf Board supporting the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya has now launched a new campaign called “Haq se aao, Mandir Banao”.

The campaign supports the construction of the temple at the disputed site and the construction of the mosque at another site located at a distance from the site of the temple.

The Shia Central Waqf Board chairman, Waseem Rizvi met the saints and RSS leaders in Ayodhya and discussed the issue with them. “Together with our Hindu brothers, we want to facilitate the constriction of the Ram temple at the site. The mosque should be constructed at a distance in order to avoid the possibility of a dispute in the future,” Mr Rizvi said.

He suggested that the new mosque should not be called the Babri mosque but should be named as ‘Masjid-e-Aman’. “We do not want the new mosque to be named after any invader. The mosque should be a symbol of peace and not war”, he said. Mr Rizvi also met Mahant Suresh Das who has succeeded Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans as head of the Digambar Akhara, one of the litigants in the Ayodhya case.

Mr Mahant Suresh Das said, “This is a welcome move and if it materialises, it will write a new chapter in Hindu-Muslim relationship. A new bond will develop between the two communities which will strengthen the country”.

The Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliate of the RSS, has played a key role in forging the new relationship between the Shias and Hindus on the Ayodhya issue. The Sunni Central Waqf Board, which is also a party to the Ayodhya case, is vehemently opposed to an out-of-court settlement.

The Board is also unwilling to give up its claim on the site where the Babri mosque stood.

“The case has gone too far and this is just a publicity gimmick. It is too late for an out-of-court settlement and we will continue to contest our claim in the Supreme Court”, said Zafaryab Jilani, senior lawyer of the Sunni Central Waqf Board. All India Babri Masjid Action Committee Manch convener Mahiradhwaj said that a good beginning had been made and the path for a dialogue on the issue had been cleared. He said he welcomed the initiative of the Shia community on this issue.