Saffron flags are flying in the majority Hindu town of Ayodhya as excited locals prepare to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inauguration of a new multimillion-dollar temple.

But like many of the town’s 500,000 Muslims, 65-year-old Maulana Badshah Khan says he’ll be staying at home.

He fears a repeat of the religious violence that erupted more than 30 years ago, when Hindu nationalists destroyed the Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque, triggering riots across the country.

On Monday, Modi will officially open the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, a lavish temple built on the same site that analysts say is a monument to Hindu nationalist ambition.

Khan says he believes the celebration is a clear sign of how Muslims are becoming marginalized under the leadership of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

  • @[email protected]
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    410 months ago

    I find it funny how the article makes no mention that the mosque was built by on top of the ruins of one of Hinduism’s holiest sites. Nor does it mention that the Sunni Waqf Board was unable to prove ownership of the land; which is why the Supreme Court allowed the Hindus to build the Temple.

    • @mlg
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      310 months ago

      That’s because the land issue became a problem long after the mosque was built.

      It was built in the 16th or 17th century, but didn’t become controversial until the 19th century.

      Meaning the land was probably under control of the Mughals who probably removed the old temple. Even the old civil suits were thrown out by Hindu judges because they ruled that the land ownership was valid, and it was too antiquated to resolve giving the ruins back to the Hindus.

      More importantly though, the supreme court overturned the 2010 judgement in 2019, a full 9 years later when BJP was in power.

      You know the same supreme court that found Modi magically innocent of his involvement in the Gujrat Massacre which had him banned from travel into the USA for a decade.

      So really this is just the type of news r/Chodi would be spamming if that shithole sub still existed.

      • @[email protected]
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        010 months ago

        That’s because the land issue became a problem long after the mosque was built.

        This doesn’t preclude anything I’ve said. The land issue did not become a problem because the Hindus continued to pray in the same building till the mid-1850s.

        Meaning the land was probably under control of the Mughals who probably removed the old temple.

        Mughals allegedly owning the land does not mean the Sunni Waqf board can claim ownership in the 21st century, lol. Besides, this is a moot point as the Mughals gave away the land to Sawai Jai Singh II.

        Even the old civil suits were thrown out by Hindu judges because they ruled that the land ownership was valid, and it was too antiquated to resolve giving the ruins back to the Hindus.

        Not really. The Hindu judge affirmed the Hindu plaintiff’s claims over the courtyard, but denied permission to build a temple in the courtyard close to mosque as it would stoke communal tensions. Nowhere in the judgement was the Muslims’ claims over the land validated.

        2010 judgement

        The 2010 judgement was unable to prove exclusive ownership, and instead had the site partitioned into three. Besides, the judgement was rejected by all the parties involved.

        a full 9 years later when BJP was in power

        Nice conspiracy theory. Unfortunately for you, court verdicts in India take time because the judiciary does not take orders from the army like in your country.

        You know the same supreme court that found Modi magically innocent of his involvement in the Gujrat Massacre which had him banned from travel into the USA for a decade.

        Ah yes, the USA, the famous arbiter of truth. 🤡

  • @[email protected]
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    010 months ago

    How is it that this temple went from a fringe Hindu-nationalist idea to something backed by the fucking government?

    Democracy at work, everyone.

    • @TimeNaan
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      110 months ago

      This is the opposite of democracy.