ISLAMABAD: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the recent construction and inauguration of “Ram Temple” at the site of the previously demolished Babri Mosque in India’s Ayodhya city.
Expressing its stance, the OIC’s General Secretariat expressed deep worry over the actions taken to establish the “Ram Temple” and condemned the obliteration of the Islamic landmark represented by the historic Babri Mosque.
In a statement, the OIC said the mosque had stood at the site for five centuries and held significant cultural and religious value. “This aligns with the OIC’s consistent position, as expressed by the Council of Foreign Ministers in previous sessions,” it added.
The OIC denounces actions that undermine Islamic landmarks and emphasises the importance of preserving cultural and religious heritage, it asserted.
The statement came a day after Pakistan also condemned the construction and consecration of the temple on the site of the demolished Babri Mosque and urged the international community to take cognisance of the growing Islamophobia, hate speech and hate crimes in India.
“The United Nations and other relevant international organizations should play their part in saving the Islamic heritage sites in India from extremist groups and ensuring the protection of the religious and cultural rights of the minorities in India,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press statement.
Pakistan also urged the Government of India to ensure the safety and security of religious minorities, including Muslims and their holy places.
The centuries-old mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a mob of extremists.
It is pertinent to mention here that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration ceremony for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya — which Hindus believe to be the birthplace of their god-king “Ram”.
For decades, the temple site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, after a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that had stood there.
The temple has been a key electoral promise of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) which, for years, had advocated for the construction of a temple in place of the 16th-century mosque built by the Mughals in 1528.
In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered the allotment of a separate plot to Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.
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