Foundation stone for Ayodhya mosque likely to be laid next year

The foundation stone of the Masjid Mohammad bin Abdullah in Ayodhya is likely to be laid next year, and saints, pirs and clerics will be invited for the ceremony, people associated with the project said on Friday. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) has been tasked with the construction of this mosque.

Haji Arfat Shaikh, chairman of the Ayodhya mosque development committee, said when the mosque is ready in the next five to six years, top clerics of all countries will be invited, including Imam-e-Haram, who leads the namaz at the Mecca masjid. Shaikh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former ex-minority commission chairman of Maharashtra, said the mosque will be "more beautiful" than the iconic Taj Mahal.

"We will invite saints and pirs from across the country for laying the foundation stone which is likely to happen early next year," Shaikh said. Named after the Prophet, Masjid Mohammad Bin Abdullah will be built in place of the Babri Masjid but at a different spot in Dhannipur, 25km from Ayodhya. The plot was given by the Uttar Pradesh government to the Muslims in accordance with the Supreme Court order in the Ayodhya Ram temple dispute. "We are hoping to lay the foundation stone for the mosque next year and we will invite clerics from across the country for the ceremony," Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, president and chief trustee of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, said.


"Once the mosque is ready, we will invite dignitaries from across the world," Faruqi, also the chairman of Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, said. Besides the mosque, the mosque development committee has envisaged colleges dedicated to different subjects like dentistry, law, architecture and international relations there. Additionally, two hospitals will come up, including for cancer treatment, Shaikh said, adding that a vegetarian community centre will also be built to cater to the people of all faiths.