Pointing out to the Ayodhya land dispute, Iraq's top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has now issued a fatwa against constructing any temple or any other shrine in the Waqf properties.
Pointing out to the Ayodhya land dispute, Iraq's top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has now issued a fatwa against constructing any temple or any other shrine in the Waqf properties.
Al-Sistani, a respected religious authority among the Shias in the world, who heads Shia seminary at Najaf in Iraq said it while replying to a query by an educationist from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, Dr Mazhar Naqvi from Kanpur, according to a report by news18.com.
This comes at a time when UP Shia Central Waqf Board chief Dr Waseem Rizvi has time and again pointed out that the disputed Ayodhya site should be given away to the Hindus for the Ram temple to be built.
"There is an international pressure on Shia Waqf Board to support the Babri Masjid litigants. This fatwa from Ayatollah Sistani is a part of that tactic. Shia Waqf Board will work as per the norms laid by the Indian Constitution and not as per any pressure from terrorists or according to any fatwa. We are not ready to abide by the cleric's opinion. The advise was taken after misguiding him on the issue," reacting to Al-Sistani's fatwa, Rizvi was quoted as saying by news18.com.
The Babri Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528, was, on December 6, 1992, razed to the ground allegedly by Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a Ram temple that originally stood there. Since then, several hearings have been held in the Supreme Court regarding this matter.
Earlier on August 20, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya suggested two options to resolve the dispute. He said either a dialogue process can be started among the stakeholders or a law can be passed in Parliament to resolve it.
"There is demand from saints to resolve the issue at the earliest. If there is any delay in the judgment, there are other options, such as dialogue or passing a law in Parliament. But the signals we are getting indicate that there would not be any delay," Maurya said.
"Just like other devotees of Lord Ram, I also want that Ram temple should be constructed in Ayodhya at the earliest. Currently, the matter is being heard in the Supreme Court. We are waiting for its judgment. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has always been in favour of the construction of Ram temple. It’s not a political issue, rather it’s about our faith," he said.
‘We have a majority in Lok Sabha, but we don't have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha to pass a bill for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Majority of Muslims also want Ram temple to be made, but due to some political reasons, especially the Congress party does not want consecutive hearings in the Supreme Court. They do not want Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya,’ he added.
Meanwhile, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi slammed Maurya for his Ram Mandir law remark and sought to know how he could make such comments when the matter is pending in the Supreme Court.
"This is a clear sign that BJP is losing immense ground. How can a responsible Deputy Chief Minister of a state government make such sort of atrocious and obnoxious statements?. When the matter is pending in the Supreme Court, the minister has no right to talk in this language," he told reporters.
"Under what provision of the Constitution can a law be made when the matter is pending in the Supreme Court?" Owaisi asked. The Hyderabad MP also flayed Maurya for making such comments at a time when Kerala and other parts of the country are facing massive natural disasters.
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