Why Muslims want Babri Masjid debris

'Whenever the Government of India throws the debris, they will not take such care of the mosque's debris and Muslims may object to such a move at that time.' 

The Babri Masjid Action Committee is considering moving the Supreme Court of India to stake claim to the debris of the demolished Babri Masjid that is still lying in situ.

The BMAC will meet this week and decide on the issue after Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi announced the setting up of a trust for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya as directed by the Supreme Court in its verdict in November 2019.

"It is the duty of Muslims to ensure that the debris of the mosque should be kept sacred," Zafaryab Jilani, convenor, Babri Masjid Action Committee, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com.

Why do you want the Babri Masjid debris?

The debris of a mosque is holy to us. According to the Shariat or Islamic law, you cannot just dump the debris of a mosque at any place. Especially, you cannot dump the debris of a mosque at any dirty place.

It is the duty of Muslims to ensure that the debris of the mosque should be kept sacred.

More importantly, whenever the Government of India throws the debris, they will not take such care of the mosque's debris and Muslims may object to such a move at that time.

Therefore, we felt we need to go to the Supreme Court of India and get an order on the Babri Masjid debris, so that in future there should be clarity on this issue.

And what do you plan to do with the debris?

Let us shift it to our designated place. Whenever we want to use it, we will use the debris.

Will you keep the debris on the new plot allotted by the government to construct the mosque?

That site (in Dhanipur village in tehsil Sohawal, Ayodhya district) will have nothing to do with this debris.

In Ayodhya (city) there are Muslims who have vacant land. We want this debris to be put there. The Shariat says this and therefore we are complying with the Shariat.

But why go to the Supreme Court for this?

We have to go because this judgment on the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid was given by the apex court.

If the Supreme Court of India does not give guidelines to the Centre that the Babri Masjid debris must be handed to us, they will not give.

This can become confrontational later on. Right now, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad too are saying they don't want the debris and we can take it, but without a Supreme Court order we cannot take the debris.

Who is giving you land in Ayodhya city to keep the debris?

The Muslims of Ayodhya, like Haji Mehboob, have told us so. Then others like Haji Abdul Haq's sons have told us. Akhlaq Sahib from Ayodhya too told us that he has land where we can bring this debris.

What about the plot given at Dhanipur village for a new mosque? Will you accept it?

We have already said we cannot take land in place of the Babri Masjid. The Shariat does not give us that permission. We have got nothing to do with it (the plot). Let the Sunni Waqf Board answer your question.

The feeling is since you did not get the Babri Masjid site, you are staking claim to the debris.

We are taking it because the Shariat says so. It has its importance.

God forbid, if this debris is thrown into some nullah, then there can be a problem in future. So as a precautionary measure we want to keep the debris of the Babri Masjid.