Page 198 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions

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search department publishes a periodical under the title “The political
Abuse of History”. It reveals a great lie in the case of Ayodhya. The

claim that there was a temple in the past in Ayodhya is a blatant false-
hood as there is absolutely “no evidence”, and never was for the exis-
tence of such a temple. Hindu radicals however, disregard this fact and
continue to claim that besides Ayodhya, there are 3,000 sacred sites
across India which were conquered by Muslim emperors. Many people
express their concerns about these sites as they too could become other
Ayodhyas in the near future. According to Indian researchers, one of the

next targets of Hindus could be a 17th century mosque in Benares. 94
The first big campaign seeking the demolition of the Babur mosque
was kicked off by the BJP in the autumn of 1990. The then leader of the
party, L. K. Advani, toured the region in his vehicle, intentionally incit-
ing people to begin an uprising with the intent of demolishing the
mosque so a temple could be built in its place. A minibus was decorated
to resemble the chariot of Mahabharata, a Hindu deity, for this purpose
and toured 20 big cities and hundreds of towns and villages. This pro-
gram started the ceaseless attacks on Muslims. The raging mob climbed
over the walls of the mosque and onto its 16th century roof where they

erected Hindu flags. No inquiry was ever held into this affair. This act of
provocation netted the BJP an explosive increase in the votes it received.
Attacks targeting the mosque increased further in 1992. 50,000
Hindus gathered in front of the Babur mosque for a great showdown fol-
lowing the Advani’s campaign on Friday the 4th, 1992. The next day,
they launched further attacks in large groups and ultimately destroyed
the 430 year old Babur Mosque. This attack resulted in violent clashes

between Muslims and Hindus. This was an offensive planned and en-
couraged for years by Sangh Parivar’s member parties like the VHP. In
the buildup to this attack, Ram Chandra Pramhans, one of the leaders of

Islam And Far Eastern Religions