Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – Muslim groups have filed an appeal against the decision at first instance on the allocation of the disputed site of Ayodhya, claimed by both Hindu and Muslim communities, and now divided following the verdict of the High Court of Lucknow (see Fides 30/9/2010 and 01/10/2010). The Indian Church, fearing that the controversy "could perpetuate and bring new turmoil in Indian society" is asking, through Fides, that "the site of Ayodhya be exempt from dispute and become, as Mother Teresa desired, a place of peace, sacred to all religions."
According to the group Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, which has filed the appeal, the initial decision of the courts "was not based on evidence, but on the beliefs of Hindus." The Court divided the site into three parts, affirming that the Babri Masjid mosque, razed by Hindu extremists, would not be rebuilt.
Faced with a possible deferment of the dispute, Fr. Charles Irudayam, Secretary of the Commission for Justice, Peace, and Development, at the Bishops' Conference of India, told Fides: "We ask the government to defuse the dispute and make Ayodhya a common ground, a place sacred to all, as was the desire of Mother Teresa. It should become the site for a national monument to peace, for believers of all religious communities, and a symbol of a consensus to abandon hatred and violence, to build peace and harmony. We hope Mother Teresa's dream will come true." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/11/2010)
