Babri Masjid case, is it turning out to be a Shia Sunni conflict

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A UP based Shia body has rubbished the claims of Sunnis over the ‘Babri Masjid’. It has claimed in Supreme Court of India that it was a Shia who demolished the Ram Temple to make a mosque. The name of this person is Mir Baqi and he was a general in Babar’s army. After demolition of this temple, Baqi made it into a mosque.

Babur
Did Babur demolish Ram Temple? Image creds- Indiaopines.com

Since Baqi was a Shia Muslim, this ‘mosque’ automatically becomes a Shia Waqf property.

Even as I write this article on this issue, the Supreme Court would be getting ready to hear arguments today in this case.

The UP Shia Waqf Board has also said that the new mosque can be built some distance away from the site of the Ram Temple. It says that this will help in reducing communal tension in Ayodhya and the rest of the country.

Please remember that the so called Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 and since then, Muslims have been wanting to re-make the mosque.

Hindus are dead set against this idea.

Ok, so what is the big deal?

An India trial court gave its order seventy years back in the year 1946!

In that year, the UP Waqf Board had claimed that the plot on which the ‘Babri Masjid’ stands, was the property of the Shias. The trial court did not accept this claim and said that the plot actually belonged to the Sunnis.

Now the Shias are raking a very old issue and are opposing the Sunni right over ‘ Babri Majid’.

Reason behind Shia claim?

The only logic that the Shias have in their support is that the person who made this ‘mosque’ was a Shia Muslim and his name was Mir Baqi.

Baqi was a general in the Mughal army and served the Mughal king, Babur. Shias say that this mosque was built by Baqi after the demolition of the Ram Temple.

However, there is no historical proof that there was a Mughal general by the name of Mir Baqi.

According to scientific evidence, there was a grand Hindu temple in Ayodhya that was razed by the Mughals in early 16th century.

Muslims, on the other hand, say that there is no proof that there was any temple on the land where the ‘mosque’ stands’.

Shia Sunni conflict

In this context, please remember that Shia Sunni are always at loggerheads with each other. Shias are in a minority in India.

They mostly live in parts of Uttar Pradesh and depend on the protection of the police to live safely. In many parts of the world, Shias face violent attacks by Sunnis and other Muslim sects.

It is possible that the Shia position on Babri Masjid is to make the Government of India and the UP government happy with them.

What is the background of this issue?

Legally, this case is more than 70 years old.

Shia body
UP Shia body claims Babri Masjid as its property. Creds- India.com

In 1527 AD, the Mughal forces under Mir Baqi marched to Ayodhya in UP and demolished the Ram temple there. This temple was made in the 11th century in the honor of Lord Rama, one of the avatars of Vishnu.

Between the 16th century till the mid 19th century, Hindus could worship in this ‘mosque’. Muslims had stayed away from this place as they knew that there was temple earlier at that site. The Muslims did not want to hurt the feelings of the Hindus by offering azan ( prayer) in the ‘mosque’ premises.

However, friction started building up between the Hindus and Muslims from mid -19th century onwards. To prevent conflicts, the Britishers locked up this building and stopped the Hindus from praying inside.

Right after our independence, some people placed the idols of Lord Rama inside the ‘mosque’. After this, the government locked the entire complex and nobody was allowed to enter it.

In the 1940s, some Hindus and Muslims filed their respective cases in a local court praying for the ownership of the building. This court also said that the UP Shia body does not have any claims over the ‘mosque’.

This case dragged on for the next sixty years. In 2011, the Allahabad High Court decided that there was indeed a Hindu temple which was later on demolished to make a mosque.

This Court also said that the building and its premises should be divided into three parts, and one part should go to the Sunni Muslims.

Current scenario

As of now, the Indian Supreme Court has ordered a stay on the High Court order and is hearing all the applications and the petitions on this issue.

The Supreme Court agrees with Subramaniam Swamy that the Ayodhya issue should be decided urgently. Swamy has also said that the Shia body’s statement on ‘Babri Masjid’ is a God sent opportunity.

Conclusion

We hope that the honorable Supreme Court agrees with the position of the Shia Waqf Board. If this happens then the new mosque can be built some distance away from the Ram Temple. This will result in re-building trust and friendship among Hindus and Muslims.