Taj Mahal, Babri Masjid and UNESCO
16 October 2017By Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and was built by Mughal
Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The emperor had 14
children with his wife who died while giving birth to their 14th child.
Feeling sorrowful and distressed, he decided to build this immense mausoleum
between 1631 and 1648 to express his immense love for her. The Taj Mahal is
considered to be one of the most mesmerizing and breathtakingly beautiful
buildings in the world. It is a universal masterpiece and a great
architectural achievement.
It is said that over 20,000 workers built it over a period of 22 years. Made
of white marble which is decorated with Qur'anic verses and precious stones
brought from all over the world, the architecture is truly a wonder in the
full sense of the word. Its glamour has remained unchanged for centuries. The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization named it a
World Heritage Site, and over two million tourists visit it annually. It will
always remain one of India's prominent landmarks and its name will always be
synonymous with India. Any tourist who visits India will go to the Taj Mahal
because a visit to India would not be complete without it.
Despite all of the beautiful qualities and the historical importance of the
Taj Mahal, the right-wing Indian government intends to remove the name of the
Taj Mahal from India's tourist guides and booklets under the pretext that it
does not represent Hindu culture, but rather represents Islamic culture, which
is viewed with hostility. The government has forgotten, perhaps intentionally,
that most of the tourist landmarks and attractions in India belong to Islamic
culture. If this extremist and fundamentalist government removes the Taj Mahal
from its tourist guides, will it also ban tourists from visiting this
important monument? Will it also ban tourists from visiting the Red Fort,
Qutub Minar (a minaret forming part of the Qutub Complex), New Delhi-based
Jama Masjid, the landmarks of Fatehpur Sikri Town and other historical
landmarks dotted all over India, which were constructed by Muslims and which
are a part and parcel of Indian culture?
The leaders of the extreme ruling party in India are trying, based on racial
fanaticism, to distort the historical and geographical facts to serve their
political objectives. This fanaticism will not be in the interest of the
Indian people and culture. On the contrary, it will provoke tension and stir
up sectarianism among all Indians.
Hindu historians and researchers, who are fair and just, admit and acknowledge
that Muslims have contributed greatly to India's politics, economy, society,
culture and civilization. There have been many contributions of Muslims and
they will continue to be recognized by many. Hundreds of books have been
written and lectures given highlighting these contributions.
However, some extreme Hindus continue to deny these contributions and regard
Muslims as invaders and occupiers. They insist on ignoring the historical
facts, especially the unity of all Indians, regardless of their religion and
sect, against the foreign colonization, especially the British, who occupied
India for over 200 years and killed tens of thousands of Indians from all
religious sects, leading to the rise of Muslims and Hindus against this
colonization.
What is the Indian government planning to do and what will it get from
removing the name of the Taj Mahal from its tourist guides? Is it planning to
ban tourists from visiting the site and neglecting its upkeep until it falls
into ruin and is destroyed by hoodlums? Is this what it wants to do? Or will
it claim that a Hindu god was born near the location of the Taj Mahal? After
all, this is what happened to the Babri Masjid, which was built by
Zahir-ud-Din Babur in the 16th century, and which was demolished by a mob of
hoodlums in 1992.
The demolition of the mosque led to massacres between Muslims and Hindus. The
case is still being reviewed by Indian courts and has been ever since the
mosque was demolished. At the time, it was claimed that Ram was born in the
same location as the Babri Masjid. Although no substantial proof was presented
to support this claim, the government let the mob of hoodlums wreak havoc in
the mosque. Will UNESCO intervene to protect the Taj Mahal, which is one of
its registered heritage sites?
Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast
Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
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