My Take on the Ayodhya Verdict

by Sarah Kazmi

Like so many other writers and commentators I am also going to start my take on the verdict with the confession that I haven’t read the 8000-page judgment. With that out of the way let’s move on to clearing the air regarding what exactly this judgment was about. It was aimed at the resolution of the 60-year-old Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi ownership dispute. It’s about the land on which the old Babri Masjid, which was demolished in 1992, stood and is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.

As far as the final verdict given by the Allahabad High Court is concerned, I think there can’t be a better judgment. The final verdict says that the land is to be divided into three equal parts to be divided amongst the three parties—the Hindu Mahasabha, the Sunni Central Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhada.

It’s apt because claims of all the parties to an extent were legitimate.

Now let’s focus on the Hindu Mahasabha’s claim. We all have read, heard and as an Indian know that it is believed that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya. It’s believed that Lord Ram was born right under the central dome of the demolished Babri Masjid, so the land goes to the Hindu Mahasabha party.

Now about the Sunni Waqf claim. A Babri Masjid did exist for around 500 years and was demolished in a heinous act carried out by anti-social delusional people; hence their claim to the land is also legitimate.

Moving on to the dissatisfaction by the two main parties (both the Hindu Mahasabha and the Sunni Waqf Board have decided to go to the Supreme Court for appeal), here is what I have to say to the Muslim Waqf Board and every Muslim not in favour of the verdict: it’s for a fact that every Muslim accepts that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya. However, the main argument put forward by this section is that there is no historical conclusive proof about Lord Ram being born at the exact spot where the central dome of the Masjid used to exist; so how can the Court just take a decision based solely on faith and what people believe? I have one question for them: can they give any historical conclusive proof of the birth of Prophet Mohammed at a particular location in Mecca???... They can’t. It’s believed that he was born there but how can we give any proof as to the exact location in Mecca where he was born; so how would they feel if at the place of his birth a religious structure of some other religion was built? I am not saying that the demolition of the Masjid was the right thing to do. This judgment is just about the dispute over the ownership of the land which was filed in 1961, it’s not about vindicating the shameful act of demolition. We have to move on. The perpetrators of the crime will be punished. The devils who demolished the Masjid were not Hindus. They were evil people who were mere opportunists and not the followers of any religion. (No religion teaches you to demolish a religious structure different from your faith; no religion teaches you to kill innocent people.) Their malicious intention was to divide us; let’s not let them win. Let’s welcome the judgment. It’s the only way to move forward.

And to my Hindu brothers and sisters, if the demolition had never taken place, if this judgment had come before that, I would have favoured giving you the whole land; it would have been the right thing to do. But we cannot put the clock back. The demolition has taken place, people have died and most importantly nobody can deny that a mosque existed there for 500 years (two judges have acknowledged that the structure was a mosque only one judge has denied it). It could have been shifted stone by stone to some other place. (It was a structure of historical importance as well; it should not have been brought down.) But the fact is now it can’t …there is nothing left to shift. We can’t ignore these things. You have to understand the humiliation and hurt of the other party as well. We have to understand and accommodate each other. We have to, it’s the only way forward. We have to try.

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I am reiterating my stand that in my view there couldn’t have been a better judgment because it addresses and acknowledges the legitimacy of the claims of both the Hindus and Muslims. Also it provides a way forward for the reconciliation process to take place, to repair the bridge that was damaged after the demolition of the Babri Masjid between the Hindus and Muslims of India. Why do I keep referring to the demolition???.. That’s because in the current scenario you can’t talk about this case (the ownership dispute) without referring to that shameful incident which no Indian is proud of. And probably this is the point where the judgment errs as it fails to make any reference to the demolition. It should have said clearly that the act of the demolition was a flagitious one. That structure was not only a mosque but was also a part of our rich national heritage. Another apprehension that should have been cleared during the initial briefing was that even though this judgment was based on faith, this does not mean that the judiciary will keep on making judgments on the basis of faith of the majority in our country. This decision was taken in this light because this place has a status of utmost importance in the Hindu religion. It has the same reverence as Mecca has in the hearts of the Muslims.

I want to appeal to all the Indians to please accept this judgment. Let’s not pass on the scars of the bitter past to the next generation. Let’s grab this opportunity to begin the process of reconciliation. Let both the parties try keep themselves in each other’s shoes because reconciliation is not a one-way traffic, it’s a process which demands equal dedication and willingness from both the sides. In the past in that structure itself the Hindus and Muslims used to worship side by side. Let’s rekindle that tradition. Let’s allow the coming up of a temple and a mosque side by side. Let each side set an example of forgiveness, magnanimity and tolerance. Let’s show all the political parities who work on the principle of divide and rule that it’s not going to work any longer. Let’s show them and the whole world that we aren’t naïve anymore. We have matured and we stand united for now and for ever…

A poll by the HT says that three-fourths of young India don’t really care about the verdict and would be rather happy if the land was used for making a hospital or an orphanage. They want to move on, they are peeved and disgusted by the fights on the basis of religion. They want to move on. And keeping in tandem with this thought process of the young, emerging India which wants to look beyond the petty religious quarrels and politics, I’d like to end this post with a thought-provoking sms I received…which goes like this:

Mandir toh banjaenge, Par Ram kahan se laoge?

Us Masjid ki diwaron ko, kya paak kabhi kar paoge???

Jis chaukhat par log jale, wahan Ram kabhi na aenge,

Jis galiyon mein khoon gira, kya maula kabhi wahan reh payenge???