MyVoice: Views of our readers 19th May 2022

Masjid or Mandir?

It is highly objectionable and disgusting to witness AIMIM chief – Hyderabad MP -Asaduddin Owaisi crying foul in almost all English channels, over discovery of 'Shivling' in the wuzukhana of Gyanvapi mosque in the course of videography as directed by the local court in Kasi, who has called the shivling as fountain; and the sacred placed has been put to use by Muslim believers to washing hands and legs, while the underlying structure is used as toilet, surely has a gory and despicable intention to berate the structure to the fullest. The observations by state BJP spokesperson N V Subhash nailed Owaisi over his comments to berate judiciary and PM of the country , to be typical of a jihadi and radical Islamist.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad

II

We do not see the wood for the trees when we give too much attention to the purported discovery of a Shivling in the wazu khana (place of ablution) in the Gyanvapi mosque that sits cheek by jowl with the Vishwanath temple in Varanasi overlooking the RSS-BJP combine's 'unfinished agenda' to convert certain mosques to temples as part of Hindu revivalism. Hindu right-wing outfits like the VHP for whom Islamic structures are eyesores have already spoken of the 'natural culmination' of the 'conclusive evidence' found in the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The enactment of the Hindu Right's script is what we see now. It has more to do with politics than piety. It is lamentable that some sections of the media which otherwise never tire of saying 'Indians first' now openly refer to the 'Hindu side' and the 'Muslim side' in a bid to polarize people and accentuate the religious fault-lines. Nevertheless, we wish that the dispute does not snowball into a religious flashpoint. Ayodhya is still fresh in our memory.

By ordering 'to secure the Shivling area' and by not annulling the proceedings of the Varanasi lower court, the Supreme Court has given an indication that it is not averse to entertaining the case despite the Places of Worship Act, 1991 and its own ruling in the Ayodhya judgment against reopening new cases related to places of worship. At the same time, it is some comfort that the apex court has placed no restrictions on Muslims entering the mosque and offering namaz or prayers as before. Still the fact remains that serving the end of justice is far more important than balancing the sentiments of religious communities.

It is not clear why the Varanasi civil court ordered the videography survey of the mosque premises in the first place if the status quo is not to be altered. Make no mistake, if the courts are ambivalent about disputes related to places of worship and are not quite sure of themselves and fail to take a firm stand on protecting the constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom and equality of religions, it could result in validating whatever is done on the strength of 'numerical superiority' and based on the principle that 'might is right'. It is of paramount importance that the courts do not let themselves be influenced by anyone, anything or any extraneous consideration either way for justice to prevail.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

III

The noun of "Gyanvapi" is in itself an antithesis in that a mosque would never have a non-Islamic name, leave alone a chaste Sanskrit word. Indian history is replete with instances of demolitions of temples in the past, indulged by the invaders who conquered our country in the past. As such, it is no surprise that a Shivling is found during a video shoot. Truth must prevail, past, present and future.

Seshagiri Row Karry, Hyderabad

IV

The then Congress government enacted a "Places of Worship Act" in 1991 so to mainly protect the mosques built by demolishing Hindu temples by the Muslim invaders. This act prohibits conversion of religious places and maintains their religious character as it existed on August 15, 1947. It was enacted with an ulterior motive. It is prejudice and against religious belief of the majority citizens. It is undemocratic, unjust and unfair. India is an ancient country noted well for its art and architecture. The advent of invaders destroyed the glory and significance of our land, its culture and monuments. It needs to be restored and true history must reach the people. So it is high time that the act is scrapped in toto so as to restore the lost glory of the nation.

Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai