Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath does not want disputed structures to be tagged as mosques. Hurting anyone’s faith by constructing a mosque-like structure does not align with Islamic principles, Adityanath said.
“Kisi bhi vivadit dhaanche ko masjid nahi bolna chahiye. Hum jis din masjid bolna bandh kar denge, uss din log jaana bhi bandh kar denge.(Any disputed structure should not be called a mosque. The day we stop calling it a mosque, people will stop going there.)” Adityanath’s comments came on Friday while speaking at an event hosted by a news channel in Prayagraj.
Prayagraj is considered the most significant destination of the Maha Kumbh, which will begin on January 14. It is expected to be a congregation of over 45 crore devotees.
Adityanath’s comments come amid series of temple-mosque disputes, with several suits pending before various courts. The chief minister spoke about the temple-mosque disputes on a day when the Supreme Court of India (SC) issued a notice on a plea by the Sambhal’s Jama Masjid management committee in Uttar Pradesh, and ordered status quo with regard to a private well located near the entrance of the mosque.
‘Does not align with Islamic principles’
‘Waise bhi yeh Islam ke sidhhanto ke khilaaf hai ki kisi ki bhi aastha ko thais pahuncha kar wahan masjid-numa dhaancha khada kar diya ho, aise sthaan par kisi prakaar ki hone waali ibaadat Khuda ko bhi manzoor nahi hoti hai. Islam me upasana ke liye structure ki zaroorat nahi hai, jab ki yeh Sanatana Dharma me hai. (Hurting anyone’s faith by constructing a mosque-like structure does not align with Islamic principles. Worship at such sites is not acceptable to God too. Islam does not mandate the construction of a structure for worship, but Sanatana Dharma does,)” the Uttar Pradesh chief minister was quoted by The Indian Express.
On December 12, Supreme Court barred civil courts across the country from registering fresh suits challenging the ownership and title of any place of worship, and from ordering surveys of disputed religious places until further orders. Petitions relating to the Places of Worship Act, 1991 are also before the Supreme Court.
The same month, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that it is ‘unacceptable’ to rake up new temple-mosque disputes in India, while reiterating that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was a matter of faith.
“Ram temple is a matter of faith for Hindus. The Hindus believed Ram temple should be constructed. But by doing that one does not become a Hindu leader,” Bhagwat said in his address on “Vishwaguru Bharat” at a lecture series in Pune on December 19.
