Ram Janmabhoomi Movement through the lens of Middle East

- Rajesh Korde 

 

In August 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE -- the first Indian PM to visit the Gulf nation in 34 years after Indira Gandhi in 1981 -- he was given a tour of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Enamoured by the beautiful edifice, he is reported to have said: "A temple next to this wonderful building would make it (mosque) even more grander."

 

On the first visit itself, the UAE announced to allot land for the temple in the capital, for which he thanked the UAE leadership for this "landmark decision". The Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will be consecrated next month (February 14), days after one of the biggest events in Indian history -- the Pran Pratishtha at Shree Ram temple in Ayodhya.

 

While the BAPS (Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi readies for the big event, what has been the reaction of the Middle East to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya? The reaction is often reflected in the opinion columns of the local media.

 

For many years, India had found itself vulnerable and humiliated among the international community. The pulling down of the disputed structure in 1992 was criticised "as erosion of Its liberal and secular credentials". Needless to say, protests erupted in Islamic nations in the neighbourhood, along the gulf and even in Britain.

 

As anti-Hindu riots raged in the neighbouring Islamic countries, with severe implications on the law and order situation in India, and Indian diplomats came under attack in countries as far apart as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iran, the External Affairs Ministry had three major worries. Firstly, to prevent attacks in the neighbourhood from justifying fresh retribution by the Hindus in India. Second, to control the damage in the Islamic world where, according to a retired senior official in the South Block, at one point, an oil embargo seemed a real possibility. And the third, to convince the West of India's good intentions and potential foreign investors of India's inherent resilience.

 

The result was unprecedented diplomatic activity with the Ministry calling on the heads of most of the diplomatic missions, especially that of the Arab world in New Delhi for immediate briefings. Top-level sources in the foreign policy establishment claimed that the damage control had been reasonably effective, though problems remained. The western nations showed good understanding and even restrained friendly powers in the Islamic world.

 

An encouraging stimulus was the reaction from Saudi Arabia. While the Saudi government officially criticised the destruction of the Babri Masjid, within two days of the event it sent word that it would still welcome the visit of R.L. Bhatia, the Minister of State for External Affairs.

 

On the Eastern front, China and the Islamic countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia distanced themselves in a dignified manner. Beijing, in fact, even went to the extent of saying "all it wanted was stability in a friendly country like India".

 

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference accused the Indian Government "of allowing Hindu extremists to demolish the Mosque".

 

"The entire Islamic world was shocked by the heinous and premeditated crime against an Islamic symbol of value, not to Muslims in India alone, but to Muslims everywhere," said Hamid Al-Gabid, the then secretary general of the organisation, which represents 50 nations with more than a billion Muslims.

 

However, strong criticism came from Turkey and Iran. There were some anxious moments with Iran, especially when the then President Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani wanted to play a more activist role. There were anxieties that he could block the recent contract for the delivery of 1.5 million tonnes of crude.

 

Secondly, India took a tough stance in expressing its concern with Iran's diplomatic representative against demonstrations outside the Indian Embassy in Tehran. Most of the demonstrators were students from the subcontinent, that even included Indian students who were on Iranian religious education scholarships. India pointed out that these students had been brought to Teheran to demonstrate, despite the fact that under Iranian law foreigners are not allowed to participate in such protests.

 

Although the pulling down of the disputed structure in 1992 predates the invention of the worldwide web and the growth of internet usage in India, the Indian Muslim discourse "Babri Masjid" serves as a focal point for articulating Indian Muslim identity in the Arab World. The cyber presence of "Babri Masjid" mediates competing historical narratives about Indian Islam.

 

Since the past 10 years, there has been a stark change in the outlook of the Middle Eastern countries towards India, primarily because of India's 'shift' in foreign policies -- "Link West" to complement its "Act East". This can be gauged by the recent turn of events.

 

In 2019, when the Ayodhya verdict came out, Al Jazeera stated that "reactions among the Muslim community in Ayodhya were mixed".

 

Many Muslims welcomed the decision, although some rejected it, "and there was a feeling of resignation – that Muslims had no choice but to accept the court’s decision."

 

More recently, Tariq Anwar, Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, wrote that "PM Modi’s personal imprint has been the fulcrum of India’s flourishing relations with the Arab-Gulf."

 

"The renewed vigour of the ties is rooted in the 5 pillars of Narendra Modi’s foreign policy: Sammaan — respect for nation’s sovereignty; Samvaad — greater engagement; Suraksha —security; Samriddhi — shared prosperity; Sanskriti and Sabhyata — instilling a culture that world is one family," Mr Anwar wrote in Outlook, a few weeks ago.

 

India has been able to navigate relationships with the Arab countries across binaries. PM Modi has vigorously generated good relations with countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain among others, while at the same time assuring them that India’s quest for taking ties with Israel to the next level will not be at their cost. This was very much evident with the stance it took in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

 

PM Modi also holds the distinction of becoming the first Indian PM to visit Palestine and receive its highest civilian award in recognition of his key contribution to promoting relations between the two countries.

 

A newspaper in the UAE wrote that the Ayodhya event on January 22 "reminds of India's great diversity -- the religious, linguistic, cultural, ethnic diversity of more than 1.4 billion citizens. Given the vastness of this great nation, living together in harmony with each other continues to be the highest achievement".

 

Abu Dhabi newspaper The National recently wrote: "Next month, a Hindu temple being inaugurated in Abu Dhabi, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will provide a perhaps unmatched example of acceptance and the freedom to practise one's religious beliefs in the UAE – no small feat in a divided world."