KARACHI: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday denounced the construction and inauguration of the ‘Ram Mandir’ built on the site of the five-century-old Babri Masjid in India’s Ayodhya.

At a grand event a day earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated the idol of Lord Ram at the new temple built on the site where the Babri Masjid stood for centuries before it was demolished by a Hindutva mob in 1992, according to a Dawn.com report.

The demolition had triggered the worst religious riots in India since independence — killing 2,000 people, most of them Muslims — and shook the foundations of the country’s officially secular political order.

But for Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opening of the Ram Mandir was a landmark moment in a decades-long campaign to align the country’s governance with its majority faith.

In a press release issued today, the OIC — a 57-member bloc of Muslim countries — expressed “grave worry” over the construction and inauguration of the temple at the site of the razed Babri Masjid.

“In line with the OIC position expressed by the Council of Foreign Ministers in its previous sessions, the General Secretariat denounces these actions aimed at obliterating the Islamic landmarks represented by the Babri Mosque, which has stood tall in the exact location for five centuries,” it said.

Pakistan condemned the grand celebrations and described the temple’s inauguration as a “symbol of growing majoritarianism and an affront to the Muslim community in India”.

The developments of the last 31 years in India, leading to the consecration ceremony, are “indicative of growing majoritarianism in India”, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

Calling the new temple “a blot on the face of India’s democracy”, the FO had also expressed concerns over the future of other mosques in the country, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura that are also facing threats of desecration and destruction.

“These constitute an important facet of the ongoing efforts for social, economic and political marginalisation of the Indian Muslims.”

The statement added that the inauguration “symbolises the rise of Hindu nationalism” and reflects the political and religious aspirations of BJP and its supporters.

“The construction of the temple on such a historically disputed site underscores the ongoing transformation in India’s religious and cultural landscape, heavily influenced by the BJP’s ideology.”

The FO expressed concern over the future of other mosques in India. It urged the international community, including the UN, to take notice of the increasing Islamophobia, hate speech, and hate crimes in India and take action to protect Islamic heritage sites.

The FO statement also called on Delhi to ensure the safety and security of its religious minorities and their holy places.

The inauguration was also met with criticism in India, levelled by opposition parties over turning the event into a grand spectacle and the “state-sponsored assault” on the pan-India peace march, headed by Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, in BJP-ruled Assam state.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2024