The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation will begin the construction of a grand mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in May this year, a senior official told Reuters.
Haji Arfat Shaikh, the head of the development committee of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) that is overseeing the mosque project, said this week that construction would begin in May, after the holy month of Ramadan, and the mosque would take three to four years to build.
Shaikh said a crowd-funding website is likely to be set up to generate funds for the planned mosque, Reuters reported.
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This information emerged on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple.
The mosque will be named “Masjid Muhammed bin Abdullah” after Prophet Muhammad, moving away from Babri Masjid or mosque as the disputed structure was once called, after the emperor Babur who established the Mughal empire.
“Our effort has been to end and convert enmity, hatred among people into love for each other…irrespective of whether or not you accept the Supreme Court judgment. All this fighting will stop if we teach good things to our children and people,” said Shaikh.
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The Supreme Court of India said in 2019 that the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 was unlawful. However, it ruled that there was a non-Islamic structure beneath the Babri Mosque. It ruled that a temple would be built on the disputed land and a parcel of land would be provided to the Muslim side for the construction of a mosque.
While the construction of the Ram Temple began within months of the SC verdict, Muslim groups have struggled to raise funds and begin work at a desolate site about 25 km (15 miles) away, Reuters reported.
“We hadn’t approached anyone … there was no public movement for it (funds),” said Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, the president of the IICF.
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Meanwhile, Athar Hussain, the secretary of the IICF, said the mosque has been delayed because they wanted to add more traditional elements to the design. A 500-bed hospital will also be constructed in the complex.
Hundreds of celebrities, including actors and cricketers, reached Ayodhya for the Ram Temple consecration ceremony on Monday which was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The temple was opened for the general public for darshan on Tuesday.