The Hindu extremists believe that every large mosque, if dug beneath, will reveal that it was built upon the ruins of a Hindu temple. Even the Kaaba, revered by Muslims, was originally a temple, and the idols worshipped around it were Hindu gods. They go even further, believing that the rituals of Hajj performed by Muslims, such as Tawaf and wearing Ihram, were originally Hindu rituals stolen by Muslims. However, Muslims wear white attire, similar to the claims of the Israelis regarding the alleged Temple Mount.
This perspective reveals how Hindu extremists in India view the sacred sites and rituals of Muslims as their ancient heritage. Thus, with their current influence and power, they seek to reclaim this supposed heritage by seizing and appropriating mosques from Muslims in India. They argue that Muslim rulers in India built these historical mosques on the ruins of Hindu temples dedicated to their gods.
This isn’t just recent verbal claims made by religious leaders; it’s rooted in ancient writings that have created a foothold, benefiting from the rise of Hindu nationalism. This nationalism has made Islam an imaginary enemy to unite Hindus, who are divided by caste, myriad gods, and beliefs. The claims imply that Muslims will soon become the majority and rule India again, despite Muslims numbering only around 200 million compared to nearly 900 million Hindus.
As explained by Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan in his book “Hindutva and how it changed Indian politics and marginalized Indian Muslims,” Hindu nationalism, a political movement that emerged in the second half of the 19th century, believes in the absolute superiority of Hindus. They see Islam as the greatest threat, followed by Christianity and then communism. One of their main programs is “cleansing,” or what they call “Shuddhi,” meaning the reversion of millions of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, the religion of their ancestors.
These extremist Hindu movements have recently intensified hatred and seek to seize mosques and historical landmarks from Indian Muslims. One notable example is the Taj Mahal, the most famous monument in Indian architecture, built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the early 17th century as a memorial for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. They demanded excavations around it, claiming it was built on the remains of a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, despite the Indian government denying any evidence of the Taj Mahal being a Hindu temple. The Modi government will spare no effort in erasing Muslims’ history, especially since it has been in power since 2014.
The claims of Hindu extremists regarding the historical significance of mosques are evident to all. The saddest example is the seizure of the Babri Mosque from Indian Muslims through Hindu mob attacks, its subsequent demolition, and finally through the judiciary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a grand ceremony laying the foundation stone for the Hindu temple at the site of the Babri Mosque on August 5, 2020, the first anniversary of the revocation of the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in India.
The Babri Mosque, built by the Mughal Sultan Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur in 1528, did not satisfy the Hindu extremists’ appetite for plunder. It was part of a systematic plan to erase the historical and cultural heritage of Indian Muslims by removing landmarks that express their ancient existence and civilizational contributions. There is a list of hundreds of mosques targeted by Hindus for seizure and conversion into temples.
One such mosque is the Eidgah Mosque in the city of Mathura, claimed to have been built above a temple to their god Krishna. Ironically, after the same Hindu claims, Muslims signed a judicially-sponsored treaty in 1968, relinquishing half of the mosque’s land to Hindus, who then built a massive temple next to the mosque in exchange for abandoning their claims. However, in recent years, Hindus have demanded the complete demolition of the mosque and ignored the partition agreement between the parties.
What happened with the Eidgah Mosque, its division between Muslims and Hindus, and the Hindu overturning of the agreement and greed for the entire mosque, mirrors Israeli policy and the alleged temporal and spatial division plan that the occupation wants to implement in the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a prelude to seizing it.
Another mosque on the list of mosques Hindus seek to seize is the Gyanvapi Mosque in the city of Varanasi, claiming that Muslims demolished part of a Hindu temple when building the mosque during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1664. Despite the temple standing near the mosque, Indian courts have played a role in exacerbating the greed for mosques in the face of judges who believe in Hindu superiority.
The extremist Hindu movement’s plan against Muslims is not limited to seizing mosques and converting them into temples. It is part of a wider effort to erase Muslims’ history and roots in this country and to erase their civilizational heritage. In the present, Muslims are marginalized in various fields, targeted in sectarian disturbances that have recurred frequently in recent years, constrained by a barrage of discriminatory laws, and prevented from wearing the hijab in some areas. They are framed in terrorism cases and their homes demolished for merely rejecting insults to the Prophet. In this reality, you can imagine how the future might look if the stick of extremism continues to wield power over India.
