The Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Ceremony is taking place in full swing in Ayodhya creating a historic moment that will be remembered for years to come. While the country celebrates the coming back of the king to its kingdom the Muslim community of the region is gearing up to build a mosque in Ayodhya in the hope that starting fresh can heal decades of bloody conflict.New mosque to be built in Ayodhya Haji Arfat Shaikh, head of the committee overseeing the project for the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), said this week that construction will start in May after the holy month of Ramadan concludes. He estimates the mosque will take 3-4 years to complete. But fundraising has been slow, unlike the flood of donations Hindu groups aligned with Prime Minister Modis BJP received over 30+ years.Mosques design to be more traditional According to IICF leaders, redesigns to add more traditional architectural elements like minarets pushed back the timeline. A 500-bed hospital will also be built on site.To solicit donations, they plan to launch an online crowd-funding campaign in the coming weeks.Mosque to be named after Prophet MohammedThe mosque was purposefully renamed “Masjid Muhammed bin Abdullah” honoring the Prophet Mohammed, moving away from referencing the destroyed Babri Masjid. “Our effort has been to end and convert enmity, hatred among people into love...irrespective of whether or not you accept the Supreme Court judgment,” said Shaikh, who is a BJP party member.Babri Masjid demolition 1992 In 1992, Hindu extremists unlawfully demolished the 16th-century Babri Masjid on the grounds that an ancient Hindu temple once stood at Lord Rams purported birthplace below. The shocking destruction sparked nationwide riots killing over 2,000 people.In 2019, Indias Supreme Court finally settled the dispute, awarding the site to Hindus for a new temple while providing Muslims land to construct a new mosque elsewhere in Ayodhya.A fresh start for Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya After prolonged legal battles and eruptions of sectarian violence, both Muslims and Hindus now appear intent on starting fresh in Ayodhya - moving beyond lingering resentment to build houses of worship reflecting their respective faiths. As the grand Ram Mandir, Muslims hope to soon break ground on a dignified new mosque honoring their religious traditions as well.“All this fighting will stop if we teach good things to our children,” Shaikh said, signaling the possibility of reconciliation and communal harmony in Ayodhyas future.
