A Proposal for Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid TusslePresented here is an evolving proposal/plan to amicably resolve the Ram Mandir/Babri mosque issue that continues to ignite communal passions in India for so long. Currently, a bulk of this plan is from the point of view of the Indian Muslims, though it may not be agreeable by all Muslims.
Before we discuss these conditions/prerequisites in detail, we need to first agree on a few assumptions which form the basis of this proposal:
There are initially, four prerequisites that should be met strictly before the Muslims can withdraw their claim on the land (or agree to let the mosque be built on an adjacent location). To ensure that these terms are met, a number of institutions such as the Supreme Court, the Parliament, the President of India, prominent personalities, and other responsible organizations, even an outside agency such as the UN, should be made guarantors. The following are the conditions in brief – the detailed terms would be drafted after consultations and considerations.
Problems in this proposals It is likely that the above proposal or conditions may not find acceptability by a cross section of people. To begin with, many Muslims have to be convinced of the stakes involved in giving up the mosque. Then, many liberal/secular Hindus and other citizens might not agree to the building of the Ram Mandir at all – after all if it were built, it would stand out for many as an eyesore – an unsightly monolith symbolizing the persistence of Hindu religious bigotry in India for the entire world to see. Some might even say that the safety and security of the Indian Muslims or any community is their fundamental right - why should they buy it by giving up the mosque. Even the government – of whichever party – would be reluctant of letting the temple be build for various reasons - politicians have too much at stake for maintaining a status quo on this issue. Finally, the Sangh Parivar itself, while they would be happy at Muslims' withdrawal, will not agree with any of the above conditions – too big a price for them to pay. However, all peace-loving citizens should agree that the above conditions, if followed strictly, could pave the way for a peaceful future. There are some more pertinent questions regarding the practicability of this proposal: who is going to present this proposal, and to whom? Who is supposed to accept it, and implement it. How do we represent all the Muslims of India? Or whether it is supposed to represent all Muslims? Similarly, how would it be accepted and implemented by all the Hindus? After all, the vandals broke down the mosque irrespective of all the laws, and in presence of the police. So if they start building the temple tomorrow without bothering about this proposal or the laws, who is going to stop them? Some tentative answers to the above questions could be: (1) We need to constitute a body of guarantors comprising of responsible people such the President of India, the Chief Justice of India, the MPs, peace-loving organizations representing both communities, Indian or international human rights institutions such as the NHRC, the Amnesty International, the UN, and other NGOs. (2) We need to make the final proposal available to the public, in all the relevant languages, using the popular media and printed pamphlets. We need to especially emphasize that this proposal is not prejudiced against any one community, and it genuinely seeks a peaceful resolution to this issue to everybody's satisfaction. (3) We need to do an exhaustive opinion poll with people from various walks of life and representing Hindus and Muslims, to seek a consensus on this proposal. (4) The Parliament of India needs to add a law/amendment in the constitution ensuring that above conditions would be met strictly - the most important being a new law that prohibits anybody to demand the demolition of further monument or buildings for any purpose. Until this law is made, no work should be initiated on this proposal. If the govt. can make and implement anti-people laws such as TADA and POTA, why not a people-friendly and heritage-friendly law such as what we demand? A large number of liberal/secular citizens would vehemently object to the Muslims' withdrawal of their claim on Babri mosque, as it would pave the way for the VHP and party to first build the Ram Mandir and then ask for more. Their apprehensions are justified. But as a secular citizen myself, I have wondered: are we (the secular people) depending only on Muslims' claim, to keep the Sangh Parivar from building the temple? If one Zafaryab Jilani withdraws his case for the mosque, do we have any alternative weapon to stop the VHP from building the temple? At least I am not aware of any, besides of course the peace processions and web-activism. One secular activist (a Hindu by name) wrote to me that Babri mosque is as much her heritage as it is any Muslim's, and hence she would fight for it. I replied that if Babri mosque were still intact even I would have fought for its survival, as a Muslim, as a secular Indian, as a human being. But since it is not there any more, there is no question of Muslims' possessing or letting it go now. And as for the rebuilding of the mosque, I recently saw inside a shop in one Muslim locality of Delhi, a colourful poster depicting the model of the 'proposed new Babri masjid'. It is one brand new building with shiny green paint all over, and looks as out of place to me as would look the model of the proposed Ram Mandir to any liberal Hindu. The plan of the Ram Mandir at least tries to borrow from the ancient Indian temple architecture (with its prefab stone pillars!), but the designer of this proposed mosque, it seems, has never visited a Mughal monument, and reflects a typical Tablighi Jama't mentality. So, whichever house of worship is built, one does not really know what to expect from the architecture. Coming back to the secularist's objection on letting the Sangh Parivar build the temple if Muslims back out. I have the following suggestion for such a situation: If, following this proposal, the Muslims forgo their claim on the disputed land or allow the mosque to be built at an adjacent location, the secular minded citizens should put their foot down on something like the following: Since the Muslims would be allowed to build a mosque on the nearby plot, we must rework on the present architectural plan of the VHP's Ram Mandir, and design a larger complex of buildings that includes the temple and the mosque with architectural styles that are different yet harmonious and complimentary to each other. This could also be considered as the fifth condition in our original list discussed above. This way, we may be able to build something more aesthetically acceptable for everyone. It may also be somewhat like a win-win solution for the two (rather, three) parties - of course with some compromises for everyone. All this is, of course, too much of wishful thinking. This proposal may look too naive and fragile in front of the wrathful hooligans who want their house of worship at any cost. We need more feedback, dialogue and active participation in this process from everyone. Currently the proposal may not represent the extremist Hindu viewpoint at the moment, and we are open for a positive and constructive dialogue with them. Mandir-Masjid issue may not be the gravest problems in India – Indian people have much more serious issues of livelihood to deal with but it is certainly a big roadblock to peace. It is unfortunate that Indians are out to become the world champions in cricket, are building missiles and nuclear weapons, have some of the best talent in IT, and so on, but the best creative minds of the one billion Indians cannot think of a workable solution to the Mandir-Masjid issue. The educated and liberal class of India has assumed that this it is too complicated and messy an affair to get into, and have simply allowed the religious fanatics to exploit it their way – and far too long. We also have to tell the world that this is not simply a Hindu-Muslim tussle – the liberal Indians have as much stake in its resolution as the extremists. |
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received so far on this proposal
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Secular Survival in India: |
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