Lucknow, (Samajweekly) The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), working for the construction of the mosque in Dhannipur, has said that there is no need to compete with the construction of Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya where the mosque is concerned.
Reacting to some local politicians’ demand for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stone laying ceremony when he would inaugurate the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Athar Hussain, secretary, IICF Trust, said, “Some people who are politicians do not understand the importance of the Ram Temple for the country. Here both Muslims and Hindus have solved the century-old dispute through court and it is our responsibility to honour the court’s verdict by constructing a mosque on land given in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil, 25 km away from the Ram Temple.
“However, we are still in the process of collecting funds while the temple is nearing completion. In this situation, how can we invite the PM at a time when even the map of the mosque has not been passed? Those who are talking about inviting the PM, are trying to do politics, which is unfair.”
“Politicians should refrain from politicising the project which is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity. They should leave things to the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) till the mosque, hospital, community kitchen and museum come up in memory of freedom fighter Ahmedullah Shah,” the IICF secretary further said.
The stone laying ceremony will come only after funds are collected and a map is passed. The target is to collect adequate funds for construction of a mosque, hospital, kitchen, museum and library. Dr Habil Khorakiwala, chairman of Wockhardt Group, has volunteered to establish and run the hospital. He will bear all the expenses of the hospital which would be run by the IICF as a charity hospital. But still, for the mosque and other things, we will have to raise funds, he added.
Athar Hussain said, “The Prime Minister is the highest authority of our country and we would love to have him in Dhannipur, but there are certain protocols attached to his visits which would have to be fulfilled. We will have to get the map passed and collect funds for the project.”
