Ayodhya dispute: Babri Masjid will remain mosque till eternity, says AIMPLB

Babri Masjid will remain a mosque till eternity and Muslims can never exchange land for the masjid, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said here on Sunday.

In a statement issued on the concluding day of its 26th plenary, the board said Babri masjid is an essential part of faith in Islam and Muslims can never "abdicate" the Masjid.

"Babri Masjid is an essential part of faith in Islam and Muslims can never abdicate the Masjid nor can they exchange land for Masjid or gift the Masjid land. Babri Masjid is a Masjid and it shall remain a Masjid till eternity. By demolishing Babri Masjid, it never loses its identity as a masjid. And according to Shariah, it always remains a Masjid," the statement said.

AIMPLB chief Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadvi presided over the three-day meet which was attended by 400 members and special invitees from different spheres of life including ulemas (clergy), intellectuals, social and political personalities.

The meet discussed and decided to protect the Islamic Shariah.

The board stressed the struggle for the reconstruction of the Babri Masjid would continue.

"Without any doubt, we make it clear that the struggle for the reconstruction of Babri Masjid continues and the appeal in the Supreme Court is being fought rigorously with all the resources available at the disposal of the board,"the statement said.

The AIMPLB further said the country's topmost lawyers are appearing in the apex court in the case on behalf of Muslims.

On the triple talaq issue, the board said a bill moved by the Centre to criminalise the practice is "anti-women" and is against the Shariah and the Constitution.

"The Talaq-e-Biddat bill moved by the central government is anti-women. It will create more difficulties for women. It is against Shariah and it is against the Constitution. The efforts made by the Board will continue to stop this bill in the Rajya Sabha,"the statement said.

The AIMPLB will start a country-wide awareness campaign against the bill and will also coordinate with Opposition parties that are against the bill,it said.

The AIMPLB also decided that state-wide committees and district-level committees will be formed under the aegis of the central body for the purpose.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, which criminalises instant talaq and provides for up to three years of imprisonment for Muslim men if they indulge in it, has already been passed in the Lok Sabha, but it is yet to get a nod in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP-led NDA lacks majority.

In the politically sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid case, the Supreme Court is currently hearing final arguments.

In its ruling on September 30, 2010, the Allahabad High Court ordered a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acres of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site, giving a third each to the Nirmohi Akhara, the Sunni Central Wakf Board of Uttar Pradesh, and Ramlalla Virajman, the idol of the child Ram placed there.