December 6 'mere footnote' in history; Ayodhya's Muslims want to move beyond temple-mosque rhetoric

Lucknow: Azam Qadri, 40, the president of the Sunni Central Waqf Board's sub-committee in Ayodhya, was barely eight years old when the Babri mosque was razed in the temple town on December 6, 1992.

"I was hardly aware of what happened then. And though even now, the realisation hurts that a religious structure was brought down so blatantly, yet one has to move on. Much water has flown down the Saryu river since that day more than three decades ago. I think Ayodhya's Muslims, like the rest of their brethren in this temple town, want to embrace development and move beyond the temple-mosque rhetoric," Qadri, whose son studies in an English-medium school in Ayodhya, told PTI.

"It is not as if everything is right. There are land grabs and encroachments and other things but then yes, as for December 6, we all stand for peace and want to move on," he said.

The Shaurya Diwas (valour day) and the Kala Diwas (black day) -- the former celebrated by the VHP-BJP and the latter by a section of Muslims on December 6 -- are things of the past, replaced by a more positive approach.

A fact check with young Muslims of Ayodhya, which sprang a surprise in the Lok Sabha polls in June, preferring the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) barely four months after the high-profile and grand consecration ceremony of the Ram temple, revealed that fed up with the vexed dispute that simmered for years, they want to move on.

Shoaib Khan (35), who runs a tent-house in Golaganj, just around the place where the Ram temple now stands, reflects this sentiment.

"Now, along with the sound of conch shells being blown, bhajans from temples and azaan from mosques, the overriding sound is that of construction and new development taking place -- all symbolising the ongoing transformation of an ancient city to a sprawling modern pilgrimage centre. Why talk of others, my business has certainly gone up as there are more events now," Khan told PTI.

"Previously, Muslim weddings did not take place on December 6. That is no longer the case now as the laptop-tablet generation seems least interested in religious talks. I am a proud Muslim, but then my religious identity never comes in the way of my duties. I was way too young on December 6, 1992 to actually realise what happened. Now, some 32 years later, December 6 is a mere footnote in Ayodhya's history," Khan said.

"The Ram temple promises to bring newer employment opportunities, newer development. And we are already witnessing how this city, where Hindus and Muslims have co-existed peacefully all these years, is marching rapidly towards development. This development would benefit one and all," said Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the Babri mosque-Ram Janmabhoomi case who had attended the January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony.

"Ayodhya is happy and at peace. God never advocates violence," said Mohammad Azam, who makes "khadau" (footwear) that are worn by many, mostly priests, in Ayodhya.

Mohammad Hafeez has been making a living by supplying flowers to temples for years. "We earn our living from this city. We want peace and coexistence," he said, adding, "Ram toh sabke hain (Lord Ram belongs to all)."