By Omar Rashid
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the Muslim community should “in the most respectful manner” hand over the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal to Hindus if scriptural and archaeological evidence show that a Hari Har temple dedicated to Kalki existed at the site before the mosque was built.
Adityanath, in a reference to the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, which has existed for the past five centuries, also said that one shouldn’t refer to “any disputed structure” as a mosque. He was speaking at a conclave organised by media house Aaj Tak at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Friday.
His comments come in the backdrop of the Supreme Court order from December 2024 directing courts in the country to not register any new suits claiming other religious places. The apex court, which was hearing petitions challenging The Places of Worship Act, 1991, also barred courts from passing any effective interim orders or final orders, including directions for surveys, in the pending suits, till further notice.
The order also applied to Sambhal, where Hindu activists have tried to seek religious rights of worship at the Shahi Jama Masjid, claiming that there once existed a Hari Har temple at the site.
Responding to the Aaj Tak anchor’s questions, Adityanath said, “Any disputed structure should not be called a mosque. The day we stop calling it a mosque, people will also stop going there. In any manner, it goes against the principles of Islam if a mosque-like structure is built after hurting someone’s faith. Any kind of worship at such sites is not acceptable to God either. Islam does not mandate any kind of structure for worship, but Sanatana Dharma does.”
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
