Amid Gyanvapi row, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's mega convention begins today

The Jamiat has issued an open invitation to everyone to attend the convention scheduled in three sessions on the said dates. It is learned that the clerics will brainstorm on how to go about the ongoing dispute regarding the Muslim places of worship including the Gyanvapi Mosque. It is believed that the participants will discuss how to frame a blueprint for the future in this regard. The clerics are also expected to discuss the strategy to tackle the demand by the Hindu right wing to implement uniform civil code in the country.

Deoband (Uttar Pradesh): Amid the ongoing Gaynvapi mosque row and claims by the Hindu rightwing over the Qutub Minar and the Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind of Deoband, a pan India Muslim organisation, convened a two-day mega convention of around 5,000 Muslim clerics in Deoband of Uttar Pradesh, which began on Saturday, to decide the future course of action over the issue. Chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Moulana Arshad Madni presided over the convention.

The Jamiat has issued an open invitation to everyone to attend the convention scheduled in three sessions on the said dates. It is learnt that the clerics will brainstorm on how to go about the ongoing dispute regarding the Muslim places of worship, including the Gyanvapi mosque. It is believed that the participants will discuss how to frame a blueprint for the future in this regard. The clerics are also expected to discuss the strategy to tackle the demand by the Hindu right-wing to implement a uniform civil code in the country.

Apart from Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, including Muslim Personal Law Board and Sunni Wakf Board, are participating in the convention. The first session started on Saturday at 8:45 am and will end at 1:00 pm. The second session will run from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The third session will start at 8:45 am on Sunday and end at 1 pm.

The Jamiat convention comes amid a raging controversy over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi in which a court hearing is going on in a local court. The controversy dates back to 1991, a year before the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The issue was reignited last year after five Hindu women sought to worship the Shringar Gauri and other idols within the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

The Hindu side recently alleged that a Shivling was found inside the mosque premises while the Muslim side claimed that the structure was part of the fountain at the mosque's wuzu khana area. Elsewhere, a plea has been filed in a Mathura court seeking to shift the Shahi Idgah mosque with the petitioner claiming that the mosque had been built “on the birthplace of Krishna Janmabhoomi”. Likewise, ASI's ex-Regional Director Dharamveer Sharma recently claimed that the Qutub Minar was built by Hindu King Raja Vikramaditya and not by Qutub al-Din Aibak.