Senior APHC-AJK leader Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has condemned the recent inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Muhammad Farooq Rehmani in a strongly-worded statement contended that this move by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marks a detrimental blow to secularism in India.
The APHC-AJK leader expressed concern over the symbolism of constructing the Ram Mandir on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid, suggesting potential future threats to other historical mosques, including the Sunehri Bagh Mosque in Delhi and mosques in Varanasi and Mathura.
Rehmani said the BJP regime, under Narendra Modi, is sowing seeds of hatred and fostering an atmosphere where the majority community feels empowered to marginalize and expel Muslims from various aspects of national life. He emphasized the historical religious tolerance exhibited by past Muslim rulers in India, such as the Mughals, who promoted Hindu-Muslim unity, culture, and appointed non-Muslims to key positions.
According to Rehmani, the current BJP government has brought about a significant catastrophe for the secular and non-communal politics that characterized the centuries of Muslim rule in India. He called upon the United Nations (UN), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and Arab states to take serious note of the evolving situation in India, asserting that it poses a threat not only to the UN Charter but also to Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir due to demographic changes following the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A.
Rehmani urged the international community to declare India a racist state and cautioned against the imposition of aggressive Hindutva laws on Muslims in India and the state of Jammu and Kashmir.—KMS
