Hindu fundamentalists celebrate the destruction of the Babri mosque in 1992.
Hindu fundamentalists celebrate the destruction of the Babri mosque in 1992.

Ministers appeal for calm before court ruling on mosque site destroyed by Hindus



LUCKNOW // Government officials are preparing for violence that might erupt when a court issues a ruling tomorrow in a 60-year-old ownership dispute between Muslims and Hindus over the site of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya.

A Hindu mob destroyed the historic 16th-century Babri mosque in 1992. Hindus want to build a temple at the site in the state of Uttar Pradesh because, they believe, their deity Ram had been born there. They say the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple and the land belongs to them. Archaeologists have found no evidence of a temple. Muslims want to rebuild the mosque and are demanding the return of the land, which is now in the government's possession. The Allahabad High Court is to rule which group owns the land.

The demolition of the mosque sparked three months of riots across the country in 1992 and 1993 in which about 2,000 people were killed. Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 - in which more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, are believed to have died - were also linked to the Ayodhya mosque. Last week, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court rejected a petition to defer the judgment. Officials are worried that it will spark riots and taint India's image leading up to next month's Commonwealth Games. After that decision, the federal and many provincial governments began appealing to Hindus and Muslims to avoid violence.

India's cabinet last week published a notice in national and regional newspapers urging restraint. The appeal, which covered half a broadsheet page and was in several languages, called for both sides to remain calm. "There should be no attempt whatsoever made by any section of the people to provoke any other section or to indulge in any expression of emotion that would hurt the feelings of other people," it said.

Ambika Soni, the information and broadcasting minister, said that the appeal also would be issued on radio and television to reach the remote areas of the country. On Saturday, the country's News Broadcasters' Association issued guidelines to its member television channels asking them to refrain from "sensational, inflammatory and provocative" reporting on the verdict. No channel should speculate on the judgment or its likely consequences, the guidelines said.

Uttar Pradesh has already begun deploying police and paramilitary personnel around the town of Ayodhya and other districts where violence may occur. "The verdict has the potential to spark communal violence and Uttar Pradesh is extremely sensitive in this case," said Brij Lal, a senior police officer in Lucknow. "Yet, we are trying our best to maintain law and order." Authorities in other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra have assured the central government that their security forces were ready.

Muslim leaders have asked their followers to respect the verdict and support peace. Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahli, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in Lucknow, said Muslims "should not behave violently if the verdict goes against them. They should not also celebrate if the verdict lands in their favour. "Muslims have been the worst sufferers in all communal riots in the past. They should do their best to avoid confrontation and ignore provocations."

The leaders of both the personal law board and Babri Masjid Action Committee have said they would appeal an unfavourable ruling to the country's highest court. Lal Krishna Advani, the leader of the Hindu-nationalist Bharartiya Janata Party (BJP), said last week his party would determine its next move only after the verdict is delivered. Vinay Katiyar, another senior BJP leader, said "matters of faith cannot be settled in a court", reiterating what many Hindu leaders have said in the past.

"We have to respect the verdict of the court. But I think matters related to religion, sentiments and beliefs cannot be court matters. The government should take an active role in resolving such matters outside the ambit of courts," Mr Katiyar said. But both Zafaryab Jilani, the counsel of the Muslim plaintiff, Sunni Central Waqf Board, and Harishankar Jain, the counsel for the Hindu litigant, Hindu Mahasabha, said several attempts to resolve the case through talks had failed in the past two decades and it is pointless to seek an out-of-court settlement.

"Muslims want to rebuild the mosque at the site and Hindus don't want any Muslim presence in the vicinity," Mr Jilani said. "No party is ready to budge from their stand. At this point only the court can provide the solution." Some Hindus and Muslims say the disputed land should not be handed over to either side. Amit Chatterjee, a Hindu who is a retired college teacher in Kolkata, said he would like to see a memorial park built at the site.

Mohammed Kashif, a businessman in the Uttar Pradesh city of Aligarh, said: "Hindus and Muslims should stop planning to build a temple or mosque at that site. They should unite and establish a small charitable hospital there, to serve poor from all communities." @Email:foreign.desk@thenational.ae

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

The distance learning plan

Spring break will be from March 8 - 19

Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm

Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19

Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning

Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars

Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

The specs: 2019 Audi A8

Price From Dh390,000

Engine 3.0L V6 turbo

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm

Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 325bhp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh289,000

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Results

2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)

3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi

3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel

4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar

5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

Uefa Champions League play-off

First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev

Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info:

Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')

Morocco 0

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

What%20is%20Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons%3F%20
%3Cp%3EDungeons%20%26amp%3B%20Dragons%20began%20as%20an%20interactive%20game%20which%20would%20be%20set%20up%20on%20a%20table%20in%201974.%20One%20player%20takes%20on%20the%20role%20of%20dungeon%20master%2C%20who%20directs%20the%20game%2C%20while%20the%20other%20players%20each%20portray%20a%20character%2C%20determining%20its%20species%2C%20occupation%20and%20moral%20and%20ethical%20outlook.%20They%20can%20choose%20the%20character%E2%80%99s%20abilities%2C%20such%20as%20strength%2C%20constitution%2C%20dexterity%2C%20intelligence%2C%20wisdom%20and%20charisma.%20In%20layman%E2%80%99s%20terms%2C%20the%20winner%20is%20the%20one%20who%20amasses%20the%20highest%20score.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Medicus AI

Started: 2016

Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh

Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai

Sector: Health Tech

Staff: 119

Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)

 

The biog

Age: 30

Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium

Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology

Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging

Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

IPL 2018 FINAL

Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)

Chennai win by eight wickets