Prominent Muslims oppose review plea

Mumbai: Around 100 prominent Muslims, including actor Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, journalist and social activist Javed Anand and professionals like lawyers, scholars and journalists have issued a joint statement opposing the decision to file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Ram janmabhoomi dispute judgment.

According to the statement, the signatories have agreed that the court order is judicially flawed but keeping it alive would harm and not help Indian Muslims.

The statement issued read, “We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned over the decision of several of the Muslim litigants in the Ayodhya dispute to challenge the recent unanimous decision of the constitution bench of the Supreme Court in favour of a Ram Temple at the disputed plot.”

“We share the unhappiness of the Indian Muslim community, constitutional experts and secular organisations over the fact that the highest court in the land has placed faith above law in arriving at its decision. But while agreeing that the court order is judicially flawed, we strongly believe that keeping the Ayodhya dispute alive will harm, and not help, Indian Muslims,” read the statement.

It further added, “Many have been advising Muslims to ‘move on’. Our appeal to fellow Muslims is to ‘move away’ from the mandir-masjid dispute since it only helps to mask the real agenda of the sangh parivar: the replacement of our secular-democratic republic with a Hindu Rashtra.  We believe that continuation of the dispute in the court will add fuel to anti-Muslim propaganda and Islamophobia, aid further communal polarisation.”

Talking about steps, other then issuing a statement, Javed Anand told The Asian Age, “It is not finalised yet, but we are contemplating holding a public meeting on this issue. The meeting could be held perhaps a fortnight from today.”

Referring to the news, that appeared few days back in which Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind Mehmood Madni faction had apparently stated that they are not in favour of the review petition, Mr Anand said, “Opinion within the community itself is sharply divided. People from Solapur, Satara and other small talukas are saying that dragging the issue is not going to help us and it will increase the communal polarisation.”