Indian Muslims vow to stay put in shadow of new Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh

Siraj Ahmad, 55, still gets goosebumps when he recalls the chilling winter of 1992, which permanently altered the skyline of his small town and the course of India’s political history.

Hindu fanatics, called kar sevaks, sporting yellow headbands and tilak on their forehead, had begun to descend in large numbers onto the dusty town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

Hindu organisations had given a call to launch the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site of the 16th-century Babri mosque, which Hindus claimed was the birthplace of lord Ram. The air was filled with loud cries of Jai Shri Ram (hail lord Ram), as the crowd pledged to demolish the mosque.

A group of frenzied kar sevaks, sheltering close to Ahmad's house in Begampura, ambushed him with swords in hand, as he headed in the direction of the local mosque for prayer. “They looked me in the eye and threatened to cut me into pieces (‘kaat ke rakh denge’),” he recalled.

Days later on Dec. 6, when the Babri mosque was razed to the ground, the mob came to Ahmad's residence for revenge.

“They plundered everything in our house. We ran away and somehow managed to save ourselves,” he told TRT World.

In the riots that followed in Ayodhya, 18 Muslims were killed, 265 houses were burned down and 23 mosques were damaged. Around 2,000 people were killed in the communal frenzy that ensued across India, most of them Muslims.

Three decades later, as that long-winding agitation finally culminates in the form of a grand Ram temple, Ahmad is once again filled with anxiety at the thought of millions of visitors gathering in Ayodhya.

“There is fear in our hearts. Those of us who have been deceived in 1992, who have suffered the loss of our homes and families, are scared. We hope the past does not get repeated. Peace must triumph at all cost," he said.

On Jan. 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the highly anticipated Ram temple, at the very spot where the Babri mosque once stood. Around 7,000 Hindu religious leaders, priests, politicians and eminent dignitaries have been invited to celebrate the opening of the temple, which is widely hailed as a victory for the Hindu majority.

The temple is the crowning glory in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s electoral strategy for the 2024 elections, where it intends to secure an undeniable thumping victory for the third time.

The Modi government is leaving no stone unturned to mobilise millions of Hindus across India and overseas to witness history in the making. It has constructed a new airport, scheduled over 1,000 special trains, and embarked on a multi-billion dollar development project to usher over 300,000 devotees daily to Ayodhya in the coming months.

Locals at large are relieved to see an end to a long-standing dispute, which has been brewing for generations. However, the steady stream of visitors, including from the rabid right-wing organisations who destroyed the Babri mosque, has raised anxiety among the 5,000-odd Muslim community members living around the temple’s 70-acre precinct.

“We do not have enmity with local Hindus, but it doesn’t take much to spoil the atmosphere. In Ayodhya, it has always been the outsiders who have played rotten,” said Syed Helal Ahmed, resident of Qaziana Mohalla, and caretaker of the Sheesh Paigambar Dargah. His sister-in-law Nasreen Bano, 35, was caught in the crossfire during the riots and was burnt alive on Dec. 6, 1992.

Ahmed and Ahmad (who are not related) are carefully keeping a watch on the political temperature. Like most of Ayodhya’s Muslims, the two have relatives and second homes in the Muslim-dominated Faizabad, which is about six km away. They plan to relocate temporarily if the situation turns uncontrollable.

“Our safety is in our hands, we can’t depend on others for our security,” Ahmed said. “If the conditions are unfavourable, we will send our women and children to our relatives in Faizabad, but there’s no such requirement for now.”

Such fears are common among the Muslim victims of the 1992 violence, who conceded to have made alternate arrangements in case of unrest.

Muslims residing in other parts of Ayodhya district said they saw no immediate reasons to panic. “Naturally, some are dreading the large throngs of the crowd and miscreants trying to disturb the peace. But this situation is not like in the '90s,” said Zafar Iqbal, a retired army officer and resident of Faizabad.

Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, homoeopathy practitioner and Urdu-speaking journalist, said Muslims understand the temple is an emotional issue for the Hindus. “The oncoming crowd is arriving to celebrate the temple and we are happy for our Hindu brothers,” he told TRT.

Several Muslim residents sought to assuage fears of turbulence after the temple’s opening, as they believe the community has made peace, albeit reluctantly by honouring the Supreme Court’s final judgement, they told TRT World.

The final verdict offered an alternative plot to erect a new mosque (replacement for Babri) in Dhannipur, 25km away from its original spot in Ayodhya.

Khaleek Ahmad Khan, one of the petitioners in the Babri mosque case, said Muslims have spent many nights in terror through the turmoil of the '80s and '90s. “If we can tolerate the demolition of the mosque and its aftermath, then the new developments around the temple are feeble.”

Islam has been part of Ayodhya’s indomitable spirit of Ganga Jamuna, a mélange of Hindu and Muslim culture that has existed for hundreds of years. The two communities have remained inseparable and lived through several regime changes in relative peace and harmony.

Khan said Muslims and Hindus have been inextricably linked and religion was a big part of this association. Muslim artisans are involved in crafting intricate designs of the new temple and sculpting life-size statues of lord Ram. “Unki bhakti aur hamari economy judi hui hai (the economy of Muslims is closely linked with the faith of the Hindu religion),” Khan explained.

Such displays of brotherhood have peeved some right-wing Hindu elements who are strengthening calls for an economic boycott of Muslims across the country and prohibiting their involvement in Hindu religious events.

Anis Mohammad, a fifth-generation member of his family, has been engaged in providing puja flowers for worshipping deities to several small and big temples in Ayodhya. He thinks that the new Ram temple may bring a boom in business for many businessmen like him in the region.

Speaking to TRT, he said, "It will be utterly wrong if Hindus ever decide to stop taking flowers for worshipping because we are Muslims. Our faith may be different, but God is one."

The development of the temple has emboldened the Hindu right in Ayodhya. Azam Qadri, president of the Sunni Waqf Board, complained that Islamic heritage is at stake because of motivated Hindu elements who have escalated land grabbing attempts of dilapidated Muslim properties.

“Rumours are rife that Muslims will be evicted from the five-mile area adjoining Ram’s birthplace, and (that the) government is acquiring all Muslim properties surrounding the temple precinct. An atmosphere is being created where Muslims feel insecure and are forced to flee," Qadri told TRT. There are also growing demands to ban the sale of meat in the entire district.

But, Ahmad said Muslims have grown up hearing such rumours since childhood. As a minority community living in the heart of a holy Hindu city, Muslims willingly respect rules such as the prohibition of the consumption of meat during auspicious days and festivals.

“We are devoted to each other with body, mind, and wealth. I know I can count on my Thakur and Pandit friends in the middle of the night and they will run and come for me," he said.

Nazish Khaleeq, teacher and heritage conservationist, said occasionally certain elements try to create a ruckus, but such attempts are promptly shut down. A few years ago, communal tensions flared up during Durga puja festivities, after Hindu organizers played provocative anti-Muslim songs. Khaleeq recalled her Hindu neighbours stepped up to assure safety of Muslim families.

“We have built a community with our people here. Such deep bonds cannot change overnight,” Khaleeq said, adding that she doesn’t anticipate Hindutva elements will get a free reign once the temple opens.

Helal Ahmed, too, attested to the kindness of Hindu neighbours and for bravely standing by Muslims. “We are alive because we were rescued. If all Hindus had harboured the wrong attitude then we wouldn’t have been left alive.”

Many Muslims repeatedly underscored Ayodhya’s unique secular blend which makes it different from other parts of India afflicted with communal violence.

Helal Ahmed said that if by misfortunate, Muslims are once again targeted by Hindu mobs, they will keep low and move away temporarily.

“Our forefathers told us about the many fights that took place between Hindus and Muslims in 1937, 1949, 1885, 1857, and before that. A lot of damage was done then too, but we returned,” he said. “This caravan (of Hindus and Muslims) is not new, it has carried on for centuries and will continue like this.”