The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JuH), a key Muslim litigant in the Ayodhya title suit, stated that they will not be accepting the 5-acre alternative land for building a mosque as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Reportedly, the decision by Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind comes two days before the crucial meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to discuss the future course of action following the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya.
The working committee Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind met in Delhi on Thursday, stated that nothing would be acceptable as an “alternative” to a mosque, be it money or land. In another big decision, Jamiat did not rule out the possibility of going for a review of the Supreme Court verdict.
A five-member fact-finding committee to be headed by its president, Arshad Madani, would seek legal opinion on the issue.
Calling the Supreme Court verdict ‘baffling’, Jamiat president Maulana Arshad Madani said it was the prerogative of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board to decide on whether to accept 5 acres that the court ordered to build a mosque, but, he added that the Jamiat working committee has decided to reject the offer since there was no need for such “charity”.
“Once a mosque is built, it remains a mosque till the end of time. So Babri Masjid is, was, and will remain a mosque. However, if the Supreme Court had said that Babri Masjid had been built after demolishing a temple, we would have forfeited our claim. Also, if we do not have a claim, why give us land at all? That is why this is a baffling verdict from the Supreme Court,” added Madani.
Uttar Pradesh JuH president Ashhad Rashidi, who was present in the meeting, said two crucial decisions were taken in the working committee meeting. “One was related to the five-acre alternative land for a mosque and the other was the possibility of filing a review plea,” said Rashidi.
He added, “The working committee unanimously decided there can be no ‘badal’ (alternative) of a mosque for anything in the world, neither money nor land. It will not be right for any Muslim outfit to accept barter,” said Rashidi.
Founded in 1919, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind is one of the most influential and financially sustainable Muslim organisations in the country. Recently, it had created a massive controversy after it had extended legal and financial aid to the Islamists accused in the Kamlesh Tiwari murder.
The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, which roughly translates to Council of Indian Muslim Theologians belonging to the Deobandi school of thought, had said that it was willing to bear all the legal costs and also offered the held of their legal cell to defend the 5 Islamists, who were accused in the Kamlesh Tiwari murder.
