India’s more-than-a century-old flashpoint, the Ram temple-Babri mosque dispute, appears to be heading towards a resolution, Gulf News can exclusively reveal.

The row over the land in the city of Ayodhya, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, has resulted in violent sectarian clashes and thousands of deaths since the 1947 declaration of independence.

Its escalation in December 1992 when the Mughal-era Babri mosque was demolished by a mob of Hindu zealots was especially wrought with communal tensions, and triggered a wave of nationwide riots that permanently altered the social and political landscape of the country.

A breakthrough is thought to be on the horizon after Muslims started engaging with a panel appointed by India’s Supreme Court, which is hearing a clutch of petitions by Hindus and Muslims claiming the rights over the small piece of land where the mosque once stood.

Hindus believe that their deity Ram was born on the very spot the mosque stood and that a temple that celebrated his birth was demolished by a Mughal general.

The Supreme Court’s mediation panel, which includes Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, was set up in March and since then it has met litigants, hundreds of religious personalities, including 300 imams, and members of civil society.

The panel has been directed to submit its report by July 18. Given the sensitivity of the case, the Supreme Court has barred Indian media from reporting deliberations.

“A majority of the Muslim litigants have decided to settle this dispute by giving up the claim on the mosque site and allow construction of a Ram temple. There is a consensus that the dispute is a dead horse and [there is] no point in flogging it,” a source told Gulf News. This source spoke to Gulf News on the condition of anonymity.

“A consensus is evolving among Muslims that this is the best chance to settle the dispute. The first signal of their changing stance came during a meeting of [the] media panel in May when members of [the] Muslim Personal Law Board hinted at handing over the outer courtyard of the mosque to Hindus,” the source added.

Earlier, a prominent Muslim cleric from Lucknow, Maulana Salman Husaini Nadwi, had sought a resolution.

“The only way of resolving the problem was to shift the ‘masjid’ (mosque) from the disputed site with an assurance and undertaking for the protection of all [other] mosques in the country. The peace treaty signed by the Prophet [Mohammad; PBUH] (known as Hudaibiya Pact) is a shining example on how to avoid conflict and clash. Mosques have been relocated and shifted in the past. We tried to reach an amicable settlement to the dispute through mediation with the help of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (founder of Art of Living NGO),” he was quoted as saying by Indian daily Hindustan Times.

Why are Muslims giving up their claim?
“I have noticed big a change in perception among Muslims in the last 20 years and they believe that Babri is no longer an issue of life and death,” prominent Muslim businessman Zafar Sareshwala told Gulf News on Sunday.

“Muslims are not under any illusion of getting a favourable court verdict,” he said, explaining why Muslims believe that the mediation panel is the best way to settle the row.

A settlement of this dispute “will end the discord between India’s Hindus and Muslims to an extent”, he said.

The parties engaging with the mediation panel “must build a consensus among the community, and the terms and conditions of the settlement must be explicitly stated,” he said. Muslims must get an assurance that once the Ayodhya dispute is settled, no other issue will be raked up, he added.

Golden opportunity
Athar Hussain, director of Centre for Objective Research and Development, a Lucknow-based think tank, told Gulf News on Sunday: “We want a new beginning in this country…this is a golden opportunity and a solution will be good for the community. Within Islamic jurisprudence there is enough scope for such a solution.”

Islamic jurisprudence says that “any place of worship where Muslims have stopped praying should be returned to the owner of the property. In this case, the owner of Babri mosque was Mughal emperor Babur, who ruled India, and his successor is the Government of India. So the land on which the mosque stood till 1992 can be returned to the government,” Hussain explained.

SOURCE : GULFNEWS