NEW DELHI: Prominent Muslim leaders in India have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to address disputes related to mosques, expressing concerns that the minority Muslim population feels threatened by the Hindu extremists and that their places of worship need protection.
In a recent controversial case, India’s court permitted Hindus to pray in a 17th-century mosque.
Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, stated, “Hindu extremists in the country are claiming that some of the historic mosques were constructed after the destruction of temples, but these are false accusations.” He urged the government to resolve such disputes.
The Muslim community, according to Rahmani, feels “threatened and suffocated” in their own country. The home ministry has not provided an immediate response to inquiries seeking comment.
Modi Govt Promoting Hindu Agenda Against Indian Muslims
Controversies over claims to holy sites have long divided India, with a Hindu majority and the world’s third-largest Muslim population. Critics accuse Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of promoting a pro-Hindu agenda and discriminating against Muslims.
Hindu groups, including the BJP’s ideological parent, argued that several mosques in India were built over demolished Hindu temples during the Mughal empire. A Hindu mob demolished one such mosque in Ayodhya in 1992.
Maulana Syed Mahmood Madani, a leader of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a council of Muslim theologians, remarked, “We understand that the legal victory in Ayodhya ended Muslim claims over one religious’ site, but now it has become a trend to question the origin of several other mosques.” He urged the government and judiciary to protect Muslim interests and religious sites.
