Salman Khan's father, scriptwriter and film producer, Salim Khan reacted to the Ayodhya verdict on Saturday, claiming that a school should be built on the proposed 5-acre land in Ayodhya. According to India Today, the 83-year-old media personality added that Muslims in India desperately needed schools, not a mosque.
A verdict was passed by the Supreme court on November 9, 2019, clearing the way for a Hindu temple to be constructed at the disputed site, where Babri Masjid was destroyed in 1992. It paved the way for a huge victory for Hindu nationalists under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The Supreme Court ruled that the site in Ayodhya in northern India, where Hindu mobs destroyed the 460-year-old mosque, must be handed over to a trust to oversee the construction of a Hindu temple, subject to conditions.
Welcoming the verdict on the dispute, Salim said that the two virtues of Islam as described by the Prophet (PBUH) are love and forgiveness. "So now after the culmination of this story (Ayodhya dispute), Muslims should adhere to these two virtues and march forward. Give love and forgive, do not rewind such issues and move on," he added.
The screen writer who formed the seventies iconic Salim-Javed duo along with his friend Javed Akhtar, is of the view that in the past couple of decades, Indian society has matured. "The manner in which peace and harmony is being maintained, after the announcement of such a sensitive verdict, is commendable. Let's accept that a very old dispute has been settled. I welcome the decision from the core of my heart," Salim told IANS.
"Instead of discussing Ayodhya any further, Muslims should discuss their basic problems and come up with solutions. I am saying this because we need schools and hospitals. It would be better if we build a college at the alternative 5-acre land, to be provided in Ayodhya for building a mosque. We can offer our prayers anywhere, in a train, in a plane me, on the floor, anywhere, but we need better schools." Salim added.
He went onto say that if the 220 million Muslims in India gain better education, a lot of the problems of the country can be resolved.
The pioneer of Bollywood's block buster formula, said Prime Minister Modi is laying stress on peace. "I agree with the PM, we really need peace today. We need peace to focus on our objectives. We have to think of our future. We should realise that better future exists for those who are educated in a better way. The real issue is that Muslims are not well educated. So I would repeat that we should culminate discussion on the Ayodhya issue and start over," he concluded.
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