Muslim bodies meet before Ayodhya case verdict

Maulana Arshad Madani, president, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, addressing the media in New Delhi on November 6.

As the Supreme Court verdict is awaited in the ongoing Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, Muslim organisations are closing ranks to present a show of solidarity. In a closed door meeting of prominent Muslim organisations convened by Navaid Hamid, president, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, the apex body of Indian Muslim organisations, the participants resolved to maintain peace and harmony at all cost after the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya dispute. The meeting in New Delhi was attended by virtually the who’s who of Muslim leadership, including Maulana Arshad Madani, president, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind; Sadatullah Hussaini, president, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; Maulana Asghar Imam Mehdi Salafi, president, All India Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith; Maulana Ashraf Kichauchvi, president, All India Mashaikh Board; Prof. Mohammad Sulaiman, president, Indian National League; Wajahat Habibullah, former Chairman, National Commission for Minorities; Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, former Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities; and Maulana Maqsood Imran, Imam, Jama Masjid, Bengaluru.

The Jamiat chief was optimistic that the decision of the apex court will go in its favour. The Jamiat is one of the litigants in the dispute. Maulana Arshad Madani expressed the hope that as “the advocates of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and other parties defending the Babri case have argued with evidences in the Supreme Court, there is no reason to doubt about the outcome”. He, however, stressed that all parties need to ensure that the verdict should be respected.

Navaid Hamid, president of the Mushawarat, said the judgment would be a milestone in the judicial history of the country.

The participants resolved that for “the stability and development of any country it is vital to have a peaceful environment, constitutional supremacy and rule of law. In a multi-religious and multi-cultural country like India, communal harmony and respect for others’ constitutional and religious freedom is a symbol of democracy and secularism. However, the fascists and anarchists are trying to communalise the environment by inciting violence in different names. In such a situation it is indispensable for peace loving Indians to come forward and fight against communal forces and try their best to establish the rule of law in the country. The impact and consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Babri Masjid case should be taken positively in the context of overall progress and development of the country.”

The leaders appealed for peace and rule of law to be maintained. We would like “to draw the attention of all Indians, irrespective of creed and caste and urge them to honour the verdict of the Supreme Court. We also appeal to all countrymen to face the situation with patience and endurance and avoid any kind of provocation and incitement.”