“Unfortunately the leaders of political parties leave it for the courts to settle disputes over religious places and forget all about their own role in religious harmony.”
Religious disputes reaching courts speaks volumes about the leadership crisis and as such the failures of both the political and religious leaders in evolving consensus over the disputes of mosques, shrines and temples are shockingly forcing the communities to knock the doors of courts for settlement of religious disputes. As a matter of general understanding the courts are for delivery of justice but not for settling religious disputes over the existence and location of mosques, shrines and temples. Unfortunately the leaders of political parties leave it for the courts to settle disputes over religious places and forget all about their own role in religious harmony. Experiences have shown that religious hatred is by all standards of human understandabilities a threat to peace and religious brotherhood besides development and economic stability in any country and same holds goods for India a country where democracy has thrived and peace have prevailed for about last more than seven decades. Religious disputes threatening religious harmony as such necessitate immediate attention and intervention of both the political and religious leaders irrespective of their political and religious affiliations across the country. A country known for thwarting the politics of disintegrating tendencies during its last more than seven decades democratic journey getting a bad name on occurrence and re-occurrence of religious disputes is not a good omen for world’s 75 year old biggest democracy. Wisdom demands that both the religious and as well as political leaders don’t allow religious disputes to become the cause of religious and political egos and instead tend to join hands to resolve religious disputes through a rigorous process of community engagements from now onwards .
“Political leaders giving courts opportunities to enforce settlements on disputes over religious places are surrendering their role in religious harmony and gifting it to judiciary without any rhyme or reason. Wisdom demands that both political and religious leaders establish their writ in cases of religious harmony and do the bigger job of bridging the gaps between the people of different faiths and religions in a diverse country like India. The latest court order for surveys on some mosques and shrines in some northern states of the country is a wakeup call for both the political and religious leaders of the country irrespective of their political and religious affiliation. It is the time for them to respond to the situation with the spirit of community engagement and establish their central role in the religious harmony across the country”.
Political leaders compromising their core ideologies for power in the current era of politics in India have the strength and potential to bring the religious leaders on the negotiating table to settle religious disputes over the existence and position of centuries old mosques, shrines and temples. Political leaders giving courts opportunities to enforce settlements on disputes over religious places are surrendering their role in religious harmony and gifting it to judiciary without any rhyme or reason. Wisdom demands that both political and religious leaders establish their writ in cases of religious harmony and do the bigger job of bridging the gaps between the people of different faiths and religions in a diverse country like India. The latest court order for surveys on some mosques and shrines in some northern states of the country is a wakeup call for both the political and religious leaders of the country irrespective of their political and religious affiliation. It is the time for them to respond to the situation with the spirit of community engagement and establish their central role in the religious harmony across the country.
