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Shia, Sunni clerics against review of SC order on Ayodhya land case
Having succeeded in ensuring cooperation of Muslims during the Ayodhya verdict, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to continue its minority connect drive even afterwards.
A day after Sunni Central Wakf Board chief Zufar Ahmad Faruqi ruled out going for a review of the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land case, two top Muslim clerics from Shia and Sunni sects have given identical statements.
Top Shia cleric Kalbe Sadiq in his meeting with UP minister Mohsin Raza on Sunday said since Ayodhya was sacred to the Hindus, he was not in favour of the Muslims appealing against the verdict.
Prominent Sunni cleric Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahal, also the naib imam of Lucknow Eidgaah, too supported the view though his reasons differed.
“Going for a review would have made sense had it been a split verdict. But since it has been a unanimous one, there is little to be achieved by way of review,” Khalid Rasheed told HT.
Both Sadiq and Rasheed are important members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) though Rasheed said his views on the issue were personal.
“My view is personal and not that of the AIMPLB,” he said.
Both Sadiq and Rasheed were among the leaders whom UP government’s lone Muslim face Mohsin Raza had met on Saturday also in a bid to ensure peace and amity in the run-up to Supreme Court verdict.
After Raza’s visit, all the clerics had issued appeals for peace.
Having succeeded in ensuring cooperation of Muslims during the Ayodhya verdict, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to continue its minority connect drive even afterwards.
Also, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met religious leaders, including Maulana Kalbe Jawad, who is also a prominent Shia cleric in the state, in Delhi to seek their continued cooperation in maintaining peace post verdict.
During his meeting Sadiq told Raza that he was categorically against the Muslims filing a review or curative petitions. “Ayodhya is a place Hindus hold sacred. As far as the mosque goes, it can be built anywhere. In fact, I am not in favour of building a mosque in Ayodhya per se. It can come up anywhere-- in Lucknow, Kanpur or anywhere else,” he said adding, “I now want a full stop to all of this. I am all praise for the manner in which Muslims and Hindus cooperated before, during and after the verdict. However, I would now like to add that we have built enough temples and mosques and other religious places and now we must concentrate on building the country.”
Former minister Ammar Rizvi, who also heads the All India Minorities Forum for Democracy and had joined the BJP only recently, backed Sadiq and in fact lashed out at those who wanted a review of the SC order.
Sadiq was the first prominent Muslim cleric who had not only issued a peace appeal but also urged the community to voluntarily give up the ‘disputed land’ to Hindus ahead of the verdict.
