Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Urdu Section
06 Sep 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Urdu Press unhappy with efforts to defuse impending Babri crisis

The court judgement over more than half-a-century-long Babri masjid land dispute is likely to come any day now. Some prominent Muslim leaders have wisely declared that they would accept any court verdict. But the Hindutva leaders stick to their stand that courts cannot decide matters of faith. This has created an atmosphere of uncertainly in the country. U.P. state government has organised a large police presence to ward off any potential conflagration arising out of the court verdict. Muslim politicians, some of them associated with the ruling UPA coalition at the centre, are probably thinking of ways in which any potential flare-up could be defused. But this is not to the liking of the Urdu Press. Quite frequently in the last weeks one has come across conspiracy theories that efforts are being made to subvert political processes to keep Muslims and the country away from any potential disaster. Apparently, for the Urdu Press, trying to keep the community and the country safe amounts to betrayal of the community’s natural ethos. Muslims must be perpetually engaged in confrontation. Confabulation or compromise cannot be their way. Sulh-e-Hudaibiya was the biggest betrayal in Islamic history. Most Muslims thought so then. Most Muslims think so now. New Age Islam presents one such report in its Urdu original along with an English translation. -- Editor

Urdu Press unhappy with efforts to defuse impending Babri crisis

The court judgement over more than half-a-century-long Babri masjid land dispute is likely to come any day now. Some prominent Muslim leaders have wisely declared that they would accept any court verdict. But the Hindutva leaders stick to their stand that courts cannot decide matters of faith. This has created an atmosphere of uncertainly in the country. U.P. state government has organised a large police presence to ward off any potential conflagration arising out of the court verdict. Muslim politicians, some of them associated with the ruling UPA coalition at the centre, are probably thinking of ways in which any potential flare-up could be defused. But this is not to the liking of the Urdu Press. Quite frequently in the last weeks one has come across conspiracy theories that efforts are being made to subvert political processes to keep Muslims and the country away from any potential disaster. Apparently, for the Urdu Press, trying to keep the community and the country safe amounts to betrayal of the community’s natural ethos. Muslims must be perpetually engaged in confrontation. Confabulation or compromise cannot be their way. Sulh-e-Hudaibiya was the biggest betrayal in Islamic history. Most Muslims thought so then. Most Muslims think so now. New Age Islam presents one such report in its Urdu original along with an English translation. -- Editor

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Babri Masjid: A conspiracy to mislead Sonia Gandhi's political advisor Ahmad Patel

Some Muslim Members of Parliament are trying to mislead not only the chief political advisor to the President of All India Congress Party, the flag bearer of Indian secularism, Ms Sonia Gandhi but the entire Congress Party with their wrong advices on the Babri masjid issue. Due to this the Congress is on the way to adopting the manifesto of the RSS and the BJP. If it happens, it will badly affect the image of the Party among the Muslims and will strike the biggest blow to the party in its 125 year history. It will also have its impact on the general elections to be held in 2014 as well as in state elections. According to information, the Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and MP Mohammad Adeeb are in the forefront of this campaign.

Interestingly, all this is happening at a time when Bihar Assembly elections are round the corner and it’s mainly the Muslims who are with the Congress in the state. But ignoring this fact, an attempt is being made to impose the saffron agenda on the Muslims. If experts are to be believed, this backstabbing on the part of the Congress could also do damage to the efforts of the heir apparent Rahul to reap success in UP assembly elections. In fact, since the time the news has broken that the Allahabad High Court's decision on the ownership of the Babri Masjid may come on September 15 and the possibility of the decision going in favour of Babri Masjid was strong, the RSS, VHP and Shiv Sena have launched a campaign against Babri Masjid and in favour of Ram Mandir. They have said that they will construct the temple irrespective of the decision. On the contrary, the rumours are also doing the rounds in the corridors of power that the Congress has already begun work on the RSS agenda.

According to reports, a campaign headed by Salman Khurshid and Mohammad Adeeb is being run seeking the view of ulema on the issue of handing over of the land of Babri Masjid for the Ram temple. On being contacted by the correspondent of Sahafat, MP Mohammad Adeeb said that the community should think over the options so that the situation does not go out of hand. We should keep a watch. If the decision comes in favour of the Babri Masjid, we should not burst into jubilation, nor should we indulge in provocation. Replying to a question he said that so far as the question of handing over of the land of Babri Masjid to the Ram Mandir is concerned, consultations were going on with intellectuals of the community, the religious scholars and dharmacharyas on how to resolve the issue as the whole country was in panic. “But our aim is to send this message across the country as to how the issue can be resolved amicably and for that we should take a civilised path", he said.

He further said that the communal forces had become active and therefore we should not give them an opportunity to foment communal riots leading to loss of innocent lives. On their meeting with Ms Sonia Gandh's political advisor, Ahmad Patel, he said that the meetings were indeed going on. "We are meeting everyone to reach a solution", he said.

Mohammad Adeeb is also an active member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He has roped in the President of the Board Maulana Rabey Hasan Nadvi in this task. Therefore, due to his manoeuvrings, this gigantic institution of the Muslims has also come under suspicion as it is sending across the message that the Waqf Board should give the land for the construction of the temple in the same way as the Sunni Waqf Board had given land for the Sita ki Rasoi during the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.

Influenced by the suggestions of Salman Khurshid and Mohammad Adeeb, perhaps Ahmad Patel too has now begun to think that an appropriate solution to this dispute is handing over of the Babri Masjid land for Ram Mandir. According to reports, the former President of the Muslim Personal Law Board Ali Mian Nadvi is also in favour of the settlement of the issue with mutual agreement. Reports say that Salman Khurshid is also in contact with other parties.

According to a report in a popular Hindi daily, senior Congress leaders Motilal Vora, Janardhan Dwiwedi, Digvijay Singh and others have also jumped into the fray for the proposed consensus. These non-Muslim leaders are in contact with the Dharmacharyas.

Consultations are on with principal saints of Hrisihikesh and Haridwar along with the Shankaracharya of Sarda Dwarkapeeth and Jyotishpeeth Badrinath Swami Swarupanand Sarswati and the Mahant of the Nirmohi Akhara of Chitrakoot Radha Ramacharya.

However, experts are bewildered by the question why the efforts to reach a consensus are being made so belatedly now if at all a consensus was to be reached. Why such efforts are being made at a time when the decision is going to be delivered after 18 years.

It goes without saying that the RSS and the VHP had been trying to acquire the land of the mosque for the temple. For this purpose, they have been in touch with greedy ulema for a long period but they could not achieve much. Now they are trying hard to achieve their goal with the help of Salman Khurshid and Mohammad Adeeb at the cost of the Congress. But given the circumstances, the attempts of Salman Khurshid and Mohammad Adeeb will fail and the Congress will ultimately suffer a huge loss.

Source: Sahafat, New Delhi

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=3400