: Digging For An End To The Ayodhya Conflict

A seemingly intractable conflict is continuing in India, and like all good conflicts, this one involves competing claims to the same land. The destruction of the 500-year old Babri Masjid in Ayodhya over a decade ago (by Hindu activists who claim the mosque was built over an ancient temple) precipitated communal violence and court battles that have continued to this day. Caught between Muslim groups who want to see the mosque rebuilt, and Hindu groups (led by the VHP, Shiv Sena, and other radical Hindu groups) who are eager to begin construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, the Indian government proposed an excavation of the site by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to determine whether (as Hindu groups claim) the Babri Masjid was built on the ruins of an older Hindu temple. Ideally, this would be the precursor for a negotiated settlement of the land dispute. But after much digging, the first report of the joint Hindu/Muslim team submitted its first report this week, which states that no temple remains like below the demolished mosque. The report stated that finds in the area were of either Muslim or common origin. “There is no temple structure of early medieval period at the site,” said archaeolgist Suraj Bhan. “The Babri mosque structure was superimposed on [a] Sultanate mosque.” Not surprisingly, the VHP and other Hindu groups rejected the initial findings, but the BJP government of Vajpayee is simply bypassing the report and offering a deal where Muslims would give up claims in Ayodhya in exchange for relinquishing Hindu claims on other mosques in India – a move that the VHP and Shiv Sena are sure to reject. Hindu officials are urging Muslims to forsake the Ayodhya claim in the interest of “communal amity” (which is more or less a polite way of saying “Give up your claim or we’ll riot.”) The ASI’s final report should be completed by July 1st, 2003.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.