Recently an apparently illegally constructed mosque was demolished in Delhi after which hundreds of people conducted prayers there led by the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid. There are multiple issues that came to my mind from this article.
The Shahi Imam says two things - that the land was actually owned by the Wakf Board and that he was promised the land would be purchased and given to the Wakf Board to reconstruct the mosque. Who will pay for the land to be given to the Wakf Board? The mosque was demolished on the orders of a court. Is the promise not in contempt of the orders of the court? This raises a larger question. Forget religion, will a place of worship be allowed to hijack public convenience? Obviously, a structure cannot be demolished purely on the basis of public convenience, but a line should be drawn somewhere. The general citizens should also realize when vested interests are at play and when there is a genuine case.
