UN Urged to Protect Islamic Sites After Mosque Demolition in India
The centuries-old mosque was bulldozed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on January 30, without any prior notice to the local Muslim community, the mosque management, or the Madressah students who studied there.
The DDA, which is under the control of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, said the mosque was an “illegal” encroachment on a forest reserve, a claim disputed by the mosque authorities.
An Islamic seminary and a cemetery attached to the mosque were also razed, while police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the area.
In a letter to the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram denounced the demolition as a "brazen" act of Hindu-majoritarianism and a part of an alarming campaign targeting Islamic sites in India, The Nation reported on Saturday.
He said several other mosques and shrines had been demolished or were at risk of being demolished by the Indian authorities or extremist mobs.
He warned that the state's support for such incidents posed serious threats to the well-being of Indian Muslims in all spheres of life. He also cited the influence of the 'Hindutva' ideology and the rise of Islamophobia in India as reasons for urgent and unwavering international attention.
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The spiritual leader of the Akhonji mosque, Imam Zakir Hussain, expressed his grief over the loss of the mosque, which he said was not only a place of worship but also a Madressah and a mausoleum for revered figures.
A video of him lamenting the demolition was widely circulated online.
The mosque was believed to be as old as the nearby Qutub Minar, a 13th-century UNESCO world heritage site in Delhi's Mehrauli area.
Source: Agencies
