LUCKNOW: The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), the trust constituted by the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya, has decided to name the mosque to be built on five-acre land allotted by the UP government in Ayodhya as ‘Dhannipur Mosque’.
The state government had allocated the land in Dhannipur village under Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya district to UP Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) in compliance with Supreme Court’s order delivered on November 9, 2019, to settle the title suit related to Ram Janmbhoomi–Babri masjid case.
IIFC has decided to name the mosque after the village and has also allowed donations from people across faith for construction of mosque, library, hospital, and facilities on the land.
Voices have been emerging over the name of the proposed mosque. One of the main litigants of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid title suit, Iqbal Ansari had demanded the UPSCWB to avoid naming the mosque after Babar.
“We have nothing to do with Babar. So no new construction should be named after him,” said Ansari. He demanded the waqf board to name the mosque and other constructions on the five-acre land after Indian Muslim icons like APJ Abdul Kalam, Ashfaqullah Khan and Abdul Hamid.
On the other, Ayodhya district administration handed over the possession of the land formally to mosque trust on Wednesday. After handing over possession of the land to Sunni Waqf Board, the land was registered as UP Sunni Central Waqf Board mosque in revenue documents of Sohawal Tehsil. The land was handed over to Waqf Board only after a committee of seven lekhpals conducted its measurement in the presence of the representative of UPSCWB.
“The land has been handed over to the trust and demarcation of the land is being done by the local administration. The construction work will start in at least three months from now. People of all faiths who wish to donate for construction of the mosque and other things to be built on the five-acre land are
welcome only on one condition that the money donated should be clean,” said Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation spokesman Athar Hussain while interacting with media persons.
Meanwhile, the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board has urged the people to cooperate and extend help in the construction of the mosque, a hospital and an Indo-Islamic cultural centre at the land given to the Trust.
IIFC is set to open two bank accounts shortly. And one of these accounts will be for raising funds only for the construction of the mosque, while the other will be used for the building of hospital and research centre.
UP Sunni Central Waqf Board had announced the formation of a 15-member trust on July 29, this year, for the construction of a mosque. The Chairperson of the Board, Zufar Farooqui, had announced the names of nine of 15 members. The remaining six would be co-opted by these nine members.