By Reuters
NEW DELHI – Top Muslim leaders in India called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Friday to end disputes over mosques and Hindu temples, saying the minority Muslim population was feeling under threat and their places of worship should be protected.
In the latest such contentious case, a court this week allowed Hindus to pray in a 17th century mosque, which Hindus say was built after the destruction of a temple.
“Many people in the country are claiming that some of the historic mosques were constructed after destruction of temples, but these are false accusations,” said Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
“We urge the government to put an end to such disputes and save the secular fabric of the nation,” he told reporters, flanked by other leaders and clerics. The Muslim community was feeling “threatened and suffocated” in their own country, he added.
The home ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The fight over claims to holy sites has divided India, which has a Hindu majority but also the world’s third-largest Muslim population, since independence from British rule in 1947. Critics accuse Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pushing a pro-Hindu agenda and promoting discrimination against Muslims, but he says his government does not do so.
This story was originally published in straitstimes.com. Read the full story here .