NRIs laud Indians for maintaing peace post-Ayodhya verdict

The Indian-American community here today lauded the people of India for maintaining peace and harmony following the Allahabad High Court judgement on Ayodhya.

But while the Muslim NRIs expressed disappointment over the verdict by the Lucknow bench of the High Court yesterday, the Hindus welcoming the judgement said it should pave the way for the construction of a Ram temple there.

"The legal validation of Hindu claims satisfies a struggle over history, but the big story will be the peace that prevails in India," said Aseem Shukla of the Hindu American Foundation in The Washington Post Blog 'On Faith'.

In a statement, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh president Ved Nanda said, "Hindus in the US earnestly hope that this is the beginning of a new era for Hindu-Muslim relations in India."

The Foundation of Hindu Religious Studies urged all decent and peace-loving people of faith in India to respect this High Court decision gracefully and participate along with Hindus in the construction of a magnificent Ram temple.

Meanwhile, American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin congratulated the people of India for maintaining peace and calm on the day of the Ayodhya verdict, but at the same time expressed their disappointment over the judgement.

"We hope that the all parties to the dispute continue to maintain peace and not resort to any activity which would lead towards public disorder," it said in a statement.

AFMI, however, said that the judgement of the court appears to ignore historical facts and appears to have mixed mythology with verifiable history.

The organisation observes with grave concern the apprehensions raised by several legal luminaries about the future of justice in India, it said.

AFMI appealed to all parties to the dispute to let the legal process continue and agree to the final decision of the Supreme Court of India.