As we delve into a recent Reuters news piece (refer below), it becomes evident that irony isn’t merely taking a backseat; it has gone on a permanent vacation…or having a good time with 72 beautiful sky-ladies.
In this article, the eminent leaders of India’s Muslim community have graced us with a striking performance of historical acrobatics as they earnestly call for the protection of their places of worship against court orders mandating the return of unlawfully occupied Hindu Mandirs to Hindus. Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, the president of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, passionately declared that accusations of historic mosques being constructed after the destruction of temples are nothing but “false accusations.”
Well, of course, one must be equipped with an exceptionally selective memory to deny the glaring evidence that history presents.
One cannot help but admire the total absence of shame or embarrassment it takes to make such demands when what is really needed is a sincere expression of remorse for the historical atrocities against Hindus and a willingness to turn over the sacred places taken from them.
It’s also heartwarming to witness the concern for the secular fabric of the nation from those who conveniently forget the not-so-secular demolition of the original Ram Mandir by their own community. Perhaps it’s a case of historical amnesia so severe that even a mention of the term “Babri Masjid” brings about a collective blank stare. After all, nothing says unity, like pretending that mosques miraculously appeared without any trace of their Hindu origins.
The appeal to the “secular fabric” is especially hilarious as they brush aside the inconvenient truth that thousands of Hindu temples have faced the wrecking ball in the past to make way for these majestic masjids…and gleefully recorded by their own historians! While an ample amount of unassailable archaeological evidence is available for all to see, one wonders if archaeological proof is truly necessary when the truth is visible to the naked eye. But then, what good is evidence in the face of a bald-face sense of historical revisionism?
One cannot help but admire the total absence of shame or embarrassment it takes to make such demands when what is really needed is a sincere expression of remorse for the historical atrocities against Hindus and a willingness to turn over the sacred places taken from them.
In conclusion, the plea for the protection of places of worship comes across as a performance worthy of an Oscar in the category of Historical Amnesia and Selective Outrage. As the nation witnesses these theatrics, one can clearly hear the screams of irony dying a thousand deaths in the background.
Reuters article
Indian Muslim leaders urge government to end to mosque-temple disputes (msn.com); accessed February 2, 2024
By Rupam Jain
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Top Muslim leaders in India called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Friday to end disputes over mosques and Hindu temples, saying the minority Muslim population was feeling under threat and their places of worship should be protected.
In the latest such contentious case, a court this week allowed Hindus to pray in a 17th century mosque, which Hindus say was built after the destruction of a temple.
“Many people in the country are claiming that some of the historic mosques were constructed after destruction of temples, but these are false accusations,” said Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
“We urge the government to put an end to such disputes and save the secular fabric of the nation,” he told reporters, flanked by other leaders and clerics. The Muslim community was feeling “threatened and suffocated” in their own country, he added.
The home ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The fight over claims to holy sites has divided India, which has a Hindu majority but also the world’s third-largest Muslim population, since independence from British rule in 1947. Critics accuse Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pushing a pro-Hindu agenda and promoting discrimination against Muslims, but he says his government does not do so.
Hindu groups including the BJP’s ideological parent say several mosques in India were built over demolished Hindu temples under the Mughal empire.
A Hindu mob pulled down one such mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya in 1992. Modi inaugurated a grand temple there last month, fulfilling a decades-long BJP pledge months ahead of general elections due by May. The temple, at the place where many Hindus believe God-King Ram was born, was built after a Supreme Court order in 2019 awarded the site to Hindus.
