A leading organisation of Islamic scholars, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, on Wednesday said it would accept the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Ayodhya land dispute case, and appealed that under no circumstance should any community resort to violence after the verdict.
“No matter which way the judgement goes, we have to abide by the law and maintain peace. If there is no peace, the idea of a united country is lost. And we aren't alone in this thought,” said Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Syed Arshad Madani at a press briefing.
The judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case is expected any time before November 17. The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is one of the key litigants in it.
The Maulana said the case was a “test case of the supremacy of law”.
“Every justice loving person wants the judgment to be based on hard facts and evidence and not on the basis of faith and belief. We trust in the law and have faith that justice will prevail. But no matter what the judgment, we hope peace is maintained,’’ he stated.
Mr. Madani noted that he had met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on the issue and was “assured that the court’s judgment would be final”.
In its one-page “reconciliation formula” for resolving the dispute, the group had said the Hindu parties should give up their claim over the three-dome portion and its courtyard area, where Muslims offered prayers. “This portion cannot be sold, transported, gifted to somebody in accordance with the Islamic Shariah and also the Indian Waqf Act does not permit it,’’ the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said in a release issued by it at the media briefing.
“If the Hindu parties do not agree to the above-mentioned formula, we should wait for the judgment of the Supreme Court,” said the release.
Kashmir issue
Mr. Madani also asked the Centre to take the people of Kashmir into confidence and engage with all affected stakeholders in Jammu & Kashmir to resolve the situation in the region following the end of special status after the amendment to Article 370. “The government has to remember that the people's movement cannot be crushed by using force. It is the responsibility of the government to solve the problems of these people,’’ he said.
India was known for its religious tolerance, harmony and secularism. The government also should take strong action against those engaged in lynching, Mr. Madani stated.
On the National Register of Citizens exercise, he said, “Citizenship of our country should not be based on the religion you follow....that is not the idea of India.”
