LUCKNOW: A desire for reconciliation along with a dash of hope that their gesture would lead to greater inter-religious harmony has led 350 Muslim devotees to Ayodhya to take darshan of the newly-consecrated Ram Lalla in the garbha griha of the temple.
It's not just these 350-odd Muslim devotees who are seeking to build bridges. Shabnam Shaikh, the ‘Sanatani Muslim’ of Mumbai, had reached the temple town covering 1400-odd km on foot in more than a month’s time, while Dr Imam Umer Ahmad Ilyasi, the chief Imam of the All India Imam Organization, was present at the pran pratishthha ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.
Dr Ilyasi is facing a ‘fatwa’ for attending the pran pratishtha ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He has also received threat calls and messages demanding his resignation.
The 350 Muslims, under the aegis of Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), the minority wing of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), had commenced their journey on foot from Lucknow to the temple town on January 25. They walked 25 km daily, taking night halts at various places and then continuing with their ‘Sankalp’ to meet Ram Lalla next morning, covering 150 km in six days. They were accompanied by ‘Sita Ki Rasoi’ arranging food and refreshment for the devotees.
According to Shahid Saeed, who is in charge of the media for MRM, after taking darshan of Ram Lalla, the troupe “preserved the graceful moment of meeting Imam-e-Hind Lord Ram in his abode as a pleasant and cherished memory for life”.
“The Muslim devotees spread the message of unity, integrity, sovereignty and harmony from the precincts of the temple,” said Saeed.
After the darshan, MRM convener Raja Raees and provincial coordinator Sher Ali Khan, who had led the group to Ayodhya, said Lord Ram was the ancestor of all. Raees and Khan emphasised that love for country and humanity took precedence over religion, caste and creed. They stressed that no religion taught criticism, mockery or disdain for others.
They even mentioned that the fatwa issued against Dr Ilyasi was a inhuman gesture, adding that he had not done anything against the tenets of Islam. “Both Hindus and Muslims have been celebrating each other’s festivals for ages. They have been companions in the ups and downs of life while keeping their religious identities intact. Similarly, Dr Ilyasi’s participation in pran pratishthha can never be a threat to Islam,” said Raees.
Similarly, Shabnam Shaikh of Mumbai, who reached Ayodhya on foot on Tuesday, first took the permission of Lord Hanuman at Hanuman Garhi temple before proceeding to the Ram temple to have a glimpse of Ram Lalla.
On the challenges of her journey from Mumbai to Ayodhya, Shabnam denied facing any. "It could have been challenging if I was living in Pakistan or any Islamic country. But I live in India. I reached Ayodhya crossing three states -- Maharashtra, MP and UP. I got immense support from the state governments and police authorities," she said.
However, Dr Ilyasi is facing the wrath of a few hot-headed, self-proclaimed custodians of Islam as they have issued a fatwa against him.
As per Dr Imam, he, as the chief Imam of All India Imam Organisaion, got the invite from Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for ‘pran-pratishthha’ of Ram Lalla. “After pondering over it for a few days as it was one of the most important decisions of my life, I decided to participate. After getting a warm welcome from the residents of Ayodhya, saints and seers, I gave a message of love and humanity from there calling upon countrymen to strengthen the nation despite our different religious faiths,” said Dr Ilyasi.
He claimed that he was getting death threats and demands for his resignation and apology besides hate mail from various quarters of the Muslim community over the issue. However, he refused to issue an apology for his participation in the consecration of Ram Lalla.