Ram Mandir: BJP to Light Lamps At Muslim Worship Sites, Mosques Say No Such Plan

BJP-RSS are attempting to mobilise Muslims for the inauguration, even as the meat ban in Ayodha is hurting Muslims.

Ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on 22 January, the BJP is attempting to mobilise Muslim bodies to participate in the celebrations around the event.

The BJP Minority Morcha has announced that it will light diyas in prominent mosques and dargahs of the country. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has extended an invitation to Iqbal Ansari, litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case. The RSS’ national executive member Indresh Kumar has urged Muslims to chant ‘Jai Sri Ram’ on the day of the inauguration. All these seem aimed towards the same end.

However, Muslim organisations say they are wary of such gestures.

This comes as AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal urged Muslims in a political rally to avoid traveling by trains between 20-25 January, to avoid any “untoward incident” with many kar sevaks traveling to Ayodhya during those dates.

Moreover, even as BJP leaders speak of lighting lamps in mosques and dargahs, the committees of these mosques deny being approached by the party or having any plans to do so.

'Big Day for All Indians': BJP Minority Morcha Chief

Jamal Siddiqui, the national president of the BJP Minority Morcha has said that the unit is planning to light diyas or lamps in prominent mosques and shrines of the country, including Delhi’s Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah.

"The Ram Mandir inauguration is a big day for all Indians. Starting from 12 January, BJP Minority Morcha and all our workers will start lighting lamps in mosques and dargahs across India. This is to respect the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of the country,” Siddiqui told The Quint.

The places part of the minority morcha's plan include Delhi's Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah.

Siddiqui said it is important for prominent Muslim sites to be seen as participating in the celebrations.

“If we expect our PM to visit shrines and pay his respects, then it is our responsibility as Muslims to celebrate the inauguration of the Ram Temple too. I will personally go to these mosques and shrines and distribute diyas (lamps) and oil for people to light there,” Siddiqui told The Quint.

'No Such Plans': Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin Dargah Patrons

However, when The Quint spoke to board members of both the Jama Masjid and the Nizamuddin Dargah, they denied knowledge of any such plans.

“Nothing of this sort is planned at Jama Masjid, nor have we been approached for this,” Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid told The Quint.

Meanwhile, Peerzada Altamash Nizami, joint secretary of the Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah's management committee, said that the Dargah doesn’t have a culture of holding political events.

“The Nizamuddin Dargah has never had political events. Anyone of any faith and political leaning is welcome to come and pray here, but there are no political events here. And we have not been approached for any such lighting of lamps for the Ram Mandir either,” Nizami told The Quint.

Babri Masjid Litigant Invited To Ceremony

Besides the lighting of lamps, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is the body officially in charge of the Ram Temple’s operations has also made it a point to invite certain Muslim individuals. This includes, most notably, Iqbal Ansari, son of Hashim Ansari, who was the eldest litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. After his father passed away at 95 in 2016, Iqbal Ansari began pursuing the case as the litigant on his behalf.

In 2019, the Supreme Court, while stating that the Muslim community was wrongfully deprived of the 450-year-old mosque, went on to reject their claim for exclusive title and possession and allowed for a Ram Temple to be built on the site.

Last week, when PM Modi was visiting Ayodhya to inaugurate a redeveloped railway station and a newly built airport, Ansari was among those seen showering petals at the PM’s convoy.

A few days later, members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust visited Ansari at his residence, handing over the official invite to the consecration ceremony, to him. Ansari has accepted the invite and told the media that he will be attending. “I am delighted that the idol of Ram is going to be installed at the temple. Ayodhya is the land of Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Christian harmony. Our unity will always remain intact,” he said.

RSS Wants Mosques To Chant 'Jai Sri Ram' On 22 January

The Trust has also invited a visually impaired Muslim bhajan singer and poet from Madhya Pradesh to the consecration ceremony. Moreover, RSS workers have also been extending invitations, with a former Muslim Karsevak from Mirzapur, Mohammed Habib, asked to join the ceremony.

Then, in response to PM Modi’s call that “everyone should celebrate Diwali on 22 January”, a group of Muslim ‘Rambhakts’ are reported to be traveling from Varanasi to Ayodhya to bring ‘ramjyoti’ back to their city. They are headed by two women part of the RSS’ Muslim wing, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM).

The MRM chief Indresh Kumar, has also urged members of the Muslim community to chant ‘Jai Sri Ram’ in mosques on 22 January. “We have common ancestors, common faces and a common dream identity. We all belong to this country, we have nothing to do with foreigners. The MRM has appealed that chant 'Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram' 11 times at dargahs, maktabs, madrassas and masjids,” Kumar has said.

'Muslim Meat Sellers Hurting Due To Ban', Say Muslim Bodies, Dismissing the Politicisation of Ceremony

However, Muslim bodies are calling such outreach a “mere eyewash.”

“The Ram Temple inauguration is a religious ceremony, for those who believe in the Hindu faith. It has nothing to do with us, we have no problem with it, but nor are we participating in it,” said Syed Ayyub Ashraf, president of the All India Muhammadi Mission, an Uttar Pradesh-based Muslim outfit.

Moreover, Ashraf pointed out that in the meat ban in Ayodhya and surrounding areas is hurting Muslim meat sellers the most. The CM Yogi Adityanath led government announced a ban on the selling of meat in Ayodhya on 28 December, to continue till the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple takes place. The ban also extends across the 84 Kosi Parikrama Marg, a sacred route that encircles Ayodhya.

“If you are ruling a state, all the people living in that state are your responsibility. Most meat-sellers in this region are Muslims, who will suffer hugely because of this ban, that is what you should take care of,” Ashraf said.

Moreover, leading Muslim body, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, has criticised the politicisation of the Ram Mandir event. “It’s a religious event, it shouldn’t be made into a government programme. The event should not be politicised or patronised by the government,and society should not be polarised on its basis,” Salim Engineer, JIH’s vice president told The Quint.

However, he also cautioned against spreading safety concerns among Muslims. “Muslims must travel freely in this period. They should continue with their activities and life as normal,” he said.