Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and Hindu activists in Karnataka have objected to the conversion of a residential house in Sarathinaga into a mosque titled ‘Fathima Masjid’. The land on which the house was constructed in the Belagavi Rural Assembly constituency has been handed over to the Waqf Board.
A meeting between the Hindu activists and locals was held over the matter. In his complaint to the authorities, Patil demanded that the district administration and corporation should vacate the mosque. He stated that a residential house was converted into a mosque illegally.
Locals have alleged that the district authorities turned a blind eye to the conversion. They further stated that the authorities were aware of the illegalities but did not take any action under pressure from the Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar. They filed complaints multiple times over the year, but no action was taken.
Pramod Muthalik, the founder of Sri Ram Sena, said that if the mosque was built per the law, no one would have any objection. He said, “[I have] no objection to building a mosque according to law. But, I can’t agree with converting a residential house into a mosque”. He gave one week’s deadline to the authorities to take action against the mosque.
The locals told IANS that the original property owner gifted it to Maulana Abdul Kalam Educational and Charitable Society. However, it was later converted into a mosque. The corporation issued a notice regarding the license violation and carrying out religious activities at a residential house. On the other hand, the Muslim leaders of the area have maintained that the property belongs to the Waqf Board.
Once a Waqf always a Waqf
Since the ownership of the property is transferred to Allah from the Waqf, and property can not be taken back from Allah, once a property becomes Waqf, it will always stay Waqf. It has been seen in several cases over the years. Details of such cases can be seen here and detailed reports on Waqf Board can be seen here.
