Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to “engage with the Muslims of the country” amidst escalating communal tensions driven by mosque surveys in various regions. Speaking during Friday prayers, Bukhari called on Muslim youth to remain patient despite the growing unrest.
“You (PM Modi) must live up to the responsibilities of your role.” Earn the trust of the Muslim community. Stop the troublemakers who are spreading division and disturbing the peace of the nation,” Bukhari said, his emotion evident. He continued, “We are in a situation worse than 1947. No one can predict where this country is headed.”
Bukhari further urged the Prime Minister to take swift action and suggested that three Hindus and three Muslims be invited for dialogue to help bridge the deepening divisions. His appeal came in the wake of violent clashes on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.
Tensions in Sambhal had been escalating since November 19, when a petition asserting that the site once housed a Hindu temple prompted a court-mandated survey of the mosque. The situation reached a breaking point on November 24 when a stone-pelting incident during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) investigation led to four deaths and several injuries, including those of officials and locals.
Bukhari expressed deep concern over the broader implications of such surveys, pointing to ongoing investigations in places like Ajmer and Sambhal. He warned that these actions were detrimental to the country’s unity, saying, “Mistakes made in the past have led to centuries of punishment… how long will this continue? How long will this cycle of Hindu-Muslim, temple-mosque disputes persist?”
In a connected matter, a petition was filed in Rajasthan asserting that the Ajmer Sharif Dargah was originally a Shiva temple.On November 27, the Rajasthan court accepted the petition and issued notices to the ASI, the Ajmer Dargah Committee, and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, further intensifying tensions surrounding religious sites.
