A Plan to Demolish 3,000 Historic Mosques
In 1992, the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India was demolished by Hindus, who then built the Temple of God Ram on its ruins. Now, they have set their sights on 3,000 other historic mosques in India. They claim that these mosques were built on top of Hindu temples and want to demolish them. This is similar to the Jewish claims about the existence of the Jewish Temple under Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Story Begins
The demand for the demolition of these mosques started in 2021 when Hindus filed a lawsuit claiming that the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple. They claimed to have found traces of the Hindu god Shiva and other symbols at the mosque site.
When Muslims gathered in the mosque to prevent its demolition, an Indian court imposed a ban on large gatherings of Muslims to pray there. In 2023, the court allowed a scientific survey to verify if the mosque was built over a Hindu temple.
The Collusion Continues
Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the ‘All India Muslim League’, expressed his fear that the Gyanvapi Mosque would suffer the same fate as the Babri Mosque.
The collusion between the Indian judiciary and Hindus continued when the Varanasi City Court allowed Hindus to worship in the basement of the Gyanvapi Mosque. They were given a week to make it suitable for Hindu worship. This ruling revealed the plan to file lawsuits claiming that historical mosques were originally Hindu temples.
The Battle for Mosques
Since March 2021, Hindus have been inventorying 3,000 mosques that they claim contain Hindu relics or were converted from Hindu temples. They published a list of these mosques on a website called "Kreately" in March 2021.
In May 2022, five Hindu women filed a lawsuit demanding the right to pray inside a mosque in Varanasi. They claimed that symbols related to the Hindu god Shiva were found in the mosque and that a Hindu temple had existed there before. Despite Indian law prohibiting the changing of a house of worship's character, judges allowed Hindus to appeal other mosques.
The Threat Continues
The Supreme Court considered appeals against the law and approved Hindu prayers inside some mosques. The law on the preservation of places of worship became meaningless, according to a court decision in 2022.
Currently, the first battle is taking place in Varanasi to implement the idea of Hindu prayer inside mosques. This is seen as a preparation for later demolishing the mosques and turning them into Hindu temples.
The Concerns
The Imam of the Gyanvapi Mosque expressed concern about how long Muslims would be allowed to attend and pray in a mosque where Hindus have already started praying. He fears that the mosque will be converted into a temple.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, India has witnessed outbreaks of violence between the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority. Modi's attendance at the opening ceremony of a Hindu temple built on the ruins of a mosque has been seen as a political move to boost his party's popularity.
The Future
Many ancient mosques in India face the risk of being seized by Hindus. The extremist Bharatiya Janata Party government supports these actions, which create political polarization and benefit the ruling party.
