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Sambhal Shahi Masjid Row<\/strong><\/p>\n \n By Poonam I Kaushish<\/strong><\/p>\n \n It never ceases to surprise how our polity keeps sinking into the marshy cesspool of bloodied religious politicking. Whereby, the pseudo-secular wheel seems to have turned a full circle. As masjid-temple symbolism is an intoxicating potent which is used by our netagan to vet their vote-banks appetite depending on which side of the template one is on – Hindu or Muslim.<\/p>\n Both have just one faith \u2014 power.<\/p>\n Nothing stands testimony to this better than the controversy of till-yesterday-unknown UP\u2019s Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid. Over 30years after Ayodhya\u2019s Babri Masjid demolition and Allahabad High Court\u2019s order allowing \u201cpuja\u201d to be performed in Gyanvapi mosque\u2019s Vyas Tehkhana February, another mosque in UP Moradabad\u2019s Sambhal is at the epicenter of a litigious tussle between Hindus-Muslims resulting in riots, stampede, burt vehicles and deaths bringing the city to a grinding halt after a Court of Civil Judge ordered survey of the 16th century Mughal era mosque built by Babur between 1526-30 last week.<\/p>\n It has its genesis when advocate Vishnu Jain also involved in Gyanvapi Mosque and Krishna Janmabhoomi disputes claimed the Jama Masiid was built by Babur after demolishing the historic Harihar Mandir dedicated to Kalki, Vishnu\u2019s 10th avatar. Citing Hindu scriptures he asserted it held religious significance for Hindus as its Kalki\u2019s birthplace and Lord is destined to appear to end talyug. And d urged the Court to allow Archaeological survey of india to take control of the temple.<\/p>\n Adding, Prime Minister Modi had recently laid the foundation stone of a grand Kalki Dham claiming \u201cKalki\u2019s avatar will determine the course of thousands of years.\u201d<\/p>\n The Court orders survey and appoints an \u2018advocates commission\u2019 to oversee the process.<\/p>\n Interestingly, the first survey goes of peacefully with the mosque committee\u2019s consenting to Hindu-Muslim representatives presence 9 November. However, Sunday when officials arrived for second survey all hell broke loose.<\/p>\n Hindu\u2019s claim Babur\u2019s memoir Baburnama and Abul Faz\u2019s Ain-e-Akbari confirm the existence of a Hanhar temple at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands. They cite a 1879 British archaeologist Carlleyle\u2019s report whereby the mosque\u2019s inside and outside pillars resemble those of old Hindu temples, covered with plaster to obscure their origins. Plaster removal from one pillar revealed ancient red columns typical of Hindu temple architecture.<\/p>\n ASI\u2019s report also claims various features and remnants within the mosque suggest its antiquity and a connection to a Hindu temple. Further, an inscription mentions Shahi Masjid\u2019s construction was completed by Babur\u2019s courtier Mir Hindu Beg who converted a Hindu temple into a mosque 1526 AD.<\/p>\n Subsequently, police files cases against Samajwadi MP Ziaur Barg and a local MLA among six others for orchestrating violence. A cue f for our netas to jump f feet first further fuelling a bitter. political blame game.<\/p>\n Predictably, Congress leader Rahul accuses BJP\u2019s State Government of being \u201cbiased, having an insensitive attitude and taking action without listening to all parties thereby further vitiating the situation resulting in many peoples\u2019 death for which BJP Government is directly responsible… It is a horrifying result of a well-planned conspiracy by BJP-RSS to create rift and discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n Echoes Samaiwadi Chief Akhilesh Yadav, \u201cBJP\u2019s Yogi Government orchestrated the riot…Supreme Court should immediately take cognizance of the conspiracy to spread tension in the name of the survey.\u201d Dittoed Jamait Ulema-e-Hind President Madani dubbing the survey as violation of Constitutional safeguards for religious sites:<\/p>\n Hit back BJP, \u201cGhamandia alliance rivals are fomenting unrest since their defeat in the Lok<\/p>\n Sabha polls. There is ample historical evidence to prove a temple was demolished for a mosque. If a court has passed an order, it will be implemented. Those who do not agree with judicial orders should take legal recourse.<\/p>\n Taking a cue Muslims dismisses this, instead view it as a provocation that violates the sanctity of religious places as upheld by invoking Supreme Court\u2019s 1991 Places of Worship Act ruling prohibiting conversion of the religious character of a place of worship. preserving its status as it existed in 1947 and underscores the Masjid\u2019s historical structure.<\/p>\n Muslim clerics aver Hindutva Brigade has found its golden goose: Reclaiming temples by breaking mosques to get Hindu majority to keep bringing them back to power on an emotive issue built on the foundation of astha and badla from Muslim invaders, who are history. The method is simple: instill a feeling of victimisation within Hindus that they had been dealt unfairly by Muslim minority, first by Mughals and now by Congress and Opposition Parties which believe in Muslim appeasement.<\/p>\n Obversely. Hindus wants to dip into their interest earnings from Ayodhya and make fresh investments \u2014 basically go on an expansion drive, inject fresh fuel in religiosity via Kashi and Mathura which are part of a grand effort to undermine India\u2019s Islamic history. The motive is clear. Monuments that remind presence of Muslims ruling India must be destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n Questionably, is the genesis of the dispute just to rectify history? Is it only about conducting a survey? Or o rove a religious and political point?<\/p>\n Certainly, a long ideological and legal battle lies ahead given Sambhal\u2019s spiritual history with different faiths overlapping each other in history. Already, there are five instances beside Sambhal where the origin of various structures are being challenged before courts despite the PoW law: Varanasi, Mathura, Agra, Dhar in Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.<\/p>\n Saffronites allege Mathura\u2019s Shahi Idgah Masjid was built by demolishing a temple at Lord Krishna birthplace. A case is pending before a local court seeking to reclaim Katra Reshar Dev Mandir complex. In February Allahabad High Court Monday dismissed Gyanvapi mosque management committee\u2019s appeals challenging Varanasi district judge\u2019s order allowing \u201cpuja\u201d to be performed in Vyas Tehkhana, avering \u201cworship will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n In a sense, the dispute with its political undertones, underscores the nemesis of depending wholly and pathetically on the judicial process to tackle an issue of faith. Perhaps a way forward is to leam from the Ayodhya verdict. The judgment went a long way in becoming a catalytic agent to integrate India and make it a cohesive whole.<\/p>\n Undoubtedly, no matter what the provocation, the rule of law cannot be made to go for a toss. Nothing justifies violence or the call to commit violence in direct contravention of the law. If a Musim has anger against his Hindu brethren or vice-versa they should take up the legal battle against them.<\/p>\n Clearly, the Sambhal Shahi Masiid-Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi temple is related to faith and posturing of assertion is not the best formula for amity. In a pluralist society, with a multiplicity of religions,<\/p>\n Hindus-Muslims need to wait for the Court to decide or the modus vivendi is to sit together and work on a solution. For starters why don\u2019t Vishnu Bhakts and Rahim Bhakts evoke the spirit of Rashtra Bhakti. What gives? \u2014\u00a0 INFA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sambhal Shahi Masjid Row By Poonam I Kaushish It never ceases to surprise how our polity keeps sinking into the marshy cesspool of bloodied religious politicking. Whereby, the pseudo-secular wheel seems to have turned a full circle. As masjid-temple symbolism is an intoxicating potent which is used by our netagan to vet their vote-banks appetite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-252791","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252791\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}