In 1990, a castoff traffic barrier, four-foot high and weighing 800 pounds, was moved to a site inside the Golden Gate Park in the city of San Francisco, California, by a boom operator. Some Hindu visitors started worshipping the traffic barrier, calling it sivalingam, offering flowers, burning camphor and incense and bathing it with water and sometimes with milk. Many Indian worshippers requested the Golden Gate Park officials to permit them to build a permanent shrine in the park around the traffic barrier. The San Francisco Chronicle portrayed the worship of this traffic-barrier as phallic fetish. The city of San Francisco removed the stone barrier, after four years, from the park on 14 January, 1994 and relocated it at the 19th Avenue home of Kali Dass. This angered other Hindu groups, who had sued the city of San Francisco, arguing that the stone should be left in the park. This whole affair did not stand the test of common sense or the teachings of the Hindu Faith.
Forty years ago in India, on 22 December, 1949, three statues of Rama were surreptitiously installed in the precincts of the Babri Masjid by Hindutva extremists, with the help of some local government authorities. Muhammad Ismael, the muezzin of the Babri Mosque, confronted the culprits and intruders, but he was attacked and ran out covered with blood to get help. Next day the Hindutva extremists declared that Ram had descended to the earth at his birthplace. The authorities sided with the extremists and locked the doors of the Babri Masjid.
In California the authorities fought the lawsuits brought against the city of San Francisco by the Hindu groups. The lies could not be proved in the court. Likewise, the Indian Muslims have been fighting the fabricated tales and lies about Ram’s invincible appearance inside the Babri Masjid.
On 18 October 1992 the Hindus living in California said: “We earnestly appealed to the Muslims to agree to the shifting of Babri Masjid to a suitable place and to help in building a strong, vibrant and secular India.” They mentioned the resentment, frustration and humiliation of the fundamentalists. On the same day Shabana Azmi said in New York that this whole affair is based on conjuring up a series of wrongs done in the past, based on imaginary grievances. (from news items published in India West, October 18, 1992, 5901 Christie Avenue, Suite #301, Emeryville, California 94608).
Krishna Jha and Dhrindra K. Jha conducted a research on the lies of Ram’s statues in Babri Masjid and provided details in the book, Ayodhya: The Dark Night – The Secret History of Rama’s Appearance in Babri Masjid. HarperCollins Publishers India, Noida, 2012.” It is a chilling account of speaking the truth in the face of lies and propaganda against the Babri Masjid.
In 2015, Mohammad Abdul Rahim Quraishi, President, All India Majlis Tameer-e Millat, wrote “Ayodhya Episode” and through his research showed that the present day Ayodhya is not the Ayodhya of Sri Ram Chanderji. Quraishi also declared that Babri Masjid was not built after the demolition of a temple. He invited every Indian to accept the truth courageously, and further urged everyone to march ahead with truth, because truth always wins.
This writer wrote a letter to India News Express in January 1993 after the vandalism and demolition of Babri Masjid. “Dear Sir, We commend Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao for showing wisdom and courage in taking swift action to arrest Mr. L.K. Advani, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Mr. Ashok Singhal, Ms. Uma Bharati, Ms. Sadhvi Rithambara and others on charges of inciting riots. These Indians have been making tendentious remarks and inflammatory speeches against Muslims and then distributing audio and video tapes of their inflammatory speeches. On December 6, 1992, Ms. Uma Bharati and Ms. Sadhvi Rithambara congratulated and embraced each other to express their utmost pleasure at the site of Babri Masjid while the demolition of the Mosque was in progress. In January 1991, several newspapers in the United States quoted Ms. Uma Bharati, Member of Parliament, saying, “Let us build a grand temple to Ram. And if this means a bloodbath, let there be a bloodbath.” Another news item said that the police have registered a case against Vishwa Hindu Parishad activist Sadhvi Rithambara for promoting enmity and hatred between two religious groups and have banned audio cassettes which contain her speeches on the Babri Masjid / Ayodhya controversy. The blood bath is going on right now in India. India is bleeding spiritually, morally and economically. Innocent and young people recruited as Kar Sevaks have turned into vicious rioters, destroyers and killers. And 80% of those killed are Muslims. We have also witnessed perfidy and connivance of the police, law enforcement officers and other agencies, and their indirect involvement in these anti-Muslim riots. The Kar Sevaks became very bold by the attitude and bias of the police. One of the slogans of the Kar Sevaks is “Darne Ki Kya Baath Hai; Police Hamaray Saath Hai.” Looking at what is happening in India, we strongly feel that the Government of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao should prosecute all those arrested to the maximum extent of the law for making inflammatory and tendentious remarks and speeches, and inciting Hindus to engage in anti-Muslim riots. At the same time we are requesting the government to pass laws to provide compensation for the riot victims and their relatives for loss of life and property. We support each and every action taken by the government to preserve democracy, secularism and the Constitution of India. Yours sincerely, Mohammad Yacoob, Ex-Officio, Consultative Committee of Indian Muslims in North America. Indian News Express, January 8, 1993; 13340 Paramount Blvd. Suite E, South Gate City, California 90280.
In the United States the decent Hindus came out and presented facts about Babri Masjid. It was surprising news for the Indians in the United States to know in April 1993, five months after the demolition of Babri Masjid, that there are 12 places in the city of Ayodhya, where Hindus believe Sri Ramchandra was born.
In April 1993, Narendra Sheth wrote, “Prejudice is Prejudice: Note: This letter refers to the demolition of the Babri Masjid Mosque in the city of Ayodhya in U.P., India, by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992. Dotbusters of New Jersey, USA, is a group of White racists who started a series of attack on Hindu women for wearing bindiya on their foreheads. The Indian American community has put a good deal of focus on the vicious problem of racial prejudice. We need to unite and protect ourselves. It is the question of survival. We and our children are here to stay, and we should be able to live without fear and enjoy life, just like all other law-abiding citizens. We do not want our children to feel like second class citizens in anyway. Even though our religion, language and cultural heritage are different from mainstream America, our children are always going to be faithful to America. We have built temples in America. We have also established cultural associations in almost every major city. We want them to flourish for generations to come. Under no circumstances we would like to be eradicated from here. As far as our children are concerned, this is their homeland. So we cannot and should not tolerate this hate crime wave of New Jersey Dotbusters. However, our own Hindu brothers in India are doing exactly the same thing to Muslims that we never want the Christian community in this country to do to our children. Under the banner such as BJP, RSS, VHP and SS, they have made it a question of survival for the Muslims in India. Muslims have been in India for centuries, but now they are being forced to consider going to Pakistan or somewhere else. They cannot live in India without fear. They cannot enjoy life like all other law abiding citizens. In fact, our brothers will be content only if they reduce Muslims to second class citizens. This is not right. If our children cannot go back to India after one generation, how can Muslims go back to Pakistan after so many centuries? But Muslims get blamed if they unite to protect each other. Their patriotism and faithfulness to India is questioned at every step. If a Hindu eats beef, he is called modern. But if a Muslim does the same, he is blamed for killing cows. In Ayodhya there were more than a dozen sites where Ram was believed to have been born, but only one of them had a mosque on it. So the fanatic alliance zoomed in on it. How would we feel if our temples in America were brought down by Christians? Actually, we have learned from history, the so-called Hindus did not originally belong to India. The original Indians were Dravidians. What we know as Hindus today are a mix of Aryans, Shakes, Huns and many other invaders. Yes, we admit that we are descendants of invaders who successfully spread their religious beliefs on all. Are we willing to vacate India and go somewhere else? If anyone of us supports, directly or indirectly, the cause of these extremists, he/she is also guilty of supporting, directly or indirectly, the cause of the New Jersey’s Dotbusters. There is no difference. There cannot be two separate rules, one for the Hindus, and one for the Dotbusters. We have talked a lot about ahimsa and peace. Now let us follow our own golden rule, “Live and let live.” Let us not be a part of any hate crime wave, mentally, verbally, physically, or financially. Let us say “No” to this alliance of opportunists. (Narendra Sheth, San Diego City, California, wrote in India Current Magazine, April 1993, published from San Jose City, California, USA 95151-1285)
[Mohammad Yacoob is a retired industrial engineer and engineering proposals analyst who lives in Los Angeles, California]