India: Muslims in Ayodhya Fear Violence Ahead of Controversial Hindu Temple Opening
The temple, which is built on a disputed site where a mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992, has been a source of tension and violence between the two communities for decades.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Ram, a revered Hindu deity, who is believed to have been born in Ayodhya. The site was also the location of the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque, which was razed by Hindu extremists in 1992, triggering riots across the country that killed nearly 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.
Safi Mohammad, a 38-year-old tailor who lives a few metres away from the temple, said he would send his wife and two sons to his relatives in another city before the temple's opening ceremony on Jan. 22. He said he still remembers the horror of the 1992 riots, which claimed the life of his uncle.
"My family has gone through a lot already," he said, Reuters reported on Wednesday. "Anything can happen anytime."
Mohammad is not alone in his fear. According to local officials, about 50,000 Muslims live in the vicinity of the temple, which is expected to attract 4.5 million Hindu pilgrims a month. At least a dozen Muslim men said they also planned to relocate their families temporarily, citing security concerns.
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"We cannot say what will happen around the opening - people in the community are a bit fearful," said Parvez Ahmad Qasmi, who runs an Islamic school in Ayodhya and lost his father-in-law to the 1992 riots.
However, not all Muslims in Ayodhya share the same apprehension. Some said they had not witnessed any major violence in recent years, and hoped that the temple would boost the local economy and benefit them too.
The temple is also seen as a political victory for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has championed the cause of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya for decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who belongs to the BJP, will inaugurate the temple, which was cleared by the Supreme Court in 2019 after a long legal battle.
The court also ordered that a separate plot of land be allotted for the construction of a mosque, which is expected to start next year, about 15 miles (24 km) from the temple.
However, some Muslims have complained that their land and properties have been illegally encroached by some people, who are taking advantage of the rising property prices in Ayodhya ahead of the pilgrimage. Mohd Azam Qadri, a leader of the Muslim Sunni Central Waqf Board, which manages Muslim religious endowments, said in a letter to local authorities this month that some mosques and cemeteries had been targeted by land grabbers.
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Ayodhya District Magistrate Nitish Kumar said he had not received any complaints about land grabs, but added: "in case they come to us ... we will look into the matter and take action accordingly".
Ayodhya police chief Raj Karan Nayyar said the authorities would deploy additional forces to ensure the security of all people, regardless of their religion.
"We will provide sufficient security to every person, not just one community," he claimed.
Source: Agencies
