Lucknow: On the eve of foundation laying ceremony of Ayodhya mosque, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) clarified that it has no plans to dedicate the mosque to 1857 mutiny martyr Ahmadullah Shah.
The IICF has been entrusted with the task of constructing Ayodhya mosque by the Sunni Central Waqf Board after the Supreme Court mandated 5 acres of land to Board for construction of mosque in Ayodhya.
Talking to the FPJ, the IICF Secretary Athar Hussain said that “Ayodhya mosque will continue to be called ‘Dhannipur mosque’ till we decide to rename it.” He, however, claimed that the IICF was actively considering to name a part of the mosque project to Ahmadullah Shah, who was a great revolutionary and freedom fighter from Ayodhya.
“Many of us like the suggestion of naming a part of the project (Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre) to Ahmadullah Shah, who was not only a great freedom fighter of India’s first war of independence in 1857 but a harbinger of communal harmony,” he claimed.
Reacting to reports appearing in a section of the media that the Ayodhya mosque will be named after Ahmadullah Shah, the Secretary reiterated “as of now the Mosque will be known as Dhannipur mosque and with no other name till we find any other suitable name".
He also reiterated that the Foundation has decided in principle that the mosque will not be named after any Mughal emperor or ruler, including Babar.
The foundation stone of the Dhannipur moque will be laid on Tuesday on the Republic Day in a simple function attended by all nine IICF members after hoisting tricolor and singing of national anthem by madarsa students.
It will be followed by a tree plantation drive by all Foundation members. Trees from the Amazon jungle and Australia, which are famous for its oxygen producing capacity, will be planted along with fruit-bearing saplings. “The entire complex will be environment-friendly,” said Hussain.
The Foundation Secretary said that out of 5 acres of land, the mosque will be built only on 1400 sq metres area. "In remaining land, a 200-bed super specialty hospital, a publishing house, community kitchen, a library and Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre will be developed", he added.
The mosque architect Prof S.M. Akhter, who has designed the mosque complex, is likely to submit maps and drawings to Ayodhya Development Authority shortly for approval to begin the construction at the earliest. He will also apply to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from 14 government departments to begin the construction.
The IICF Secretary claimed that they are getting overwhelming support and donations from people across the world. A Hindu doctor from London has contacted us to offer his services at the super specialty hospital, he added.
“We will not launch any drive for collecting donations but release the Foundation account number in public domain once we receive an 80G rebate certificate from the income tax department,” he said.
