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Indian Muslim s Leading English Newspaper, published since January 2000www.milligazette.com

THEMILLI GAZETTEwww.milligazette.com ISSN 0972-3366

MGFortnightly Rs 10258 Vol. 11 No. 20 16-31 October 2010 32 pages

Babri Masjid Verdict

The Second DemolitionPages: 2, 3, 5, 6-7, 8-9, 12, 13, 14, 18-19, 20, 21

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court hasgrossly overstepped its limits proving what we knewall-along that some people were more equal than oth-ers even in the eyes of law in this secular and demo-

cratic country. What was de facto until yesterday is de juretoday. The court was supposed to basically decide the titlesuit of the disputed land. It did so but relying not on evi-dence and history but on aastha, faith, and said sounabashedly.

This verdict has smashed our trust in the Indian judici-ary. It reveals it as a Hindu and politicised system, not onestrictly bound by law and constitution. The verdict has leftthe Babri issue an open wound for all time to come and anytemple built on the site by this sleight of hand will always beseen by us, Indian Muslims, as a monument of injustice andunfairness.

I have been proud of our judiciary and have been saying

so openly to the whole world. We considered it a safetyvalve for the countrys myriad problems and one reason whythe Indian Muslim was so law-abiding and peaceful. Nowthat trust stands smashed and shattered.

Babri was never a land ownership issue. It is a ploy ofthe majority community fanatics whose plan is to margin-alise the minorities, especially Muslims, to force them toaccept the status of second class citizens in their own coun-try. Until that aim is fulfilled, they will keep finding one issueafter another. These fanatics have a very long list of monu-ments including Taj Mahal and Delhi's Jama Masjid, whichthey claim either stand on the sites of "razed" Hindu templesor are "Hindu" monuments whose names were changed byMuslim rulers (Taj Mahal, they claim was Tejo Mahlaya). Pre-British historical records, including the books written byHindus themselves have no such indication. The Hindutvalist is very elastic and includes anything from three to three

thousand monuments, mainly mosques. The idea is to per-petually keep Muslims occupied in mandir-masjid issues,polarise the Hindu voters in favour of the BJP and show theMuslims their place as second class citizens in their owncountry. The example of one of the first three mosques

demanded by Hindutva zealots shows that they will not becontent with any compromise short of complete surrenderto their dictates. Under a mutual settlement overseen by thelocal court and district authorities, Muslims of Mathura hadhanded over about half of the land of the Mathura Eidgah (amasjid) in October 1968 to a trust headed by Hari Dalmia,head of the VHP. The matter was closed and a magnificenttemple was built on the land given by the Muslims whiletheir dilapidated mosque does not even have a properapproach. Yet, despite that solemn agreement, they are nowdemanding the other half of the site on which the actualEidgah stands today. Let the fanatics know we are equals,we will never accept to live as second class citizens.

ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN

Yusuf/MG

We will never accept second class citizenship

2/3 for

1st ClassCitizens

1/3 for

2nd class

citizens

On the basis of faith On the basis of facts

Saffronfaith This is

victoryof

aastha