Top court had ordered 5-acre land will be given to Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodha
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Wednesday said the Sunni Central Waqf Board, which will get five acres of land in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, is not the representative of the entire Muslim community.
The AIMPLB also said that if the waqf board accepts the Centre's offer it should not be considered a decision of all Muslims of the country.
While delivering its judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case on November 9 last year, the Supreme Court had said the trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.
The top court had also ordered that five-acre land will be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodha at an alternative site.
"The Sunni Waqf board is not the representative of the entire Muslim community. If it takes land, it should not be considered a decision of Muslims of the country," AIMPLB, senior executive member, Maulana Yasin Usmani, said.
He said the AIMPLB and those associated with it have decided that they "will not take any land in Ayodhya".
On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday allotted five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for construction of a mosque.
All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) spokesman Maulana Yasoob Abbas said, "The Supreme Court had directed to provide the land to the Sunni Waqf Board. It's their decision whether they take it or not. Whatever decision, it takes there should be peace and communal amity."
He however said that the Shia Board is with the AIMPLB on the matter.
Senior AIMPLB member Zafaryab Jilani said, "The decision of the UP government to give five-acre land for construction of the masjid (mosque) almost 18 kilometres away from the district headquarters of Ayodhya is against the judgment delivered by a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in 1994 in the cases of Ismal Farooqui."
"In the judgment it was said that the 67 acre of land acquired by the Centre will be used only for four purposes -- temple, mosque, library and resting place (thahraav sthal). If any land is left, then it will be returned to its owners.Hence, the land for the mosque should be given from this 67 acre of land," he said.
Mr Jilani also said, "AIMPLB has already decided that it will not take any land in lieu of the land of the mosque. Now, it depends on the Sunni Board to keep this point of view before the government."
No reaction could be obtained from the Sunni Central Waqf Board. Despite efforts, no contact could be made with the board chairman Zufar Farooqui.