From Other Guides • Hinduism • Religion in India

Dateline: March 3, 2002

The Indian state of Gujarat has often been a flashpoint for brutal Hindu-Muslim fighting.  The home state of Mohandas Gandhi has been the site of fierce inter-religious violence ever since India's independence in 1947.  In the past few days, riots there have killed hundreds of people, often in the most barbaric ways.

Background of the Current Conflict

For over 500 years, the city of Ayodhya (in north-central India) was the site of a beautiful and historic mosque, called the Babri Mosque.  It was built in 1528 A.D. by Mir Baqi, and named after Zahir-ud-Deen Muhammad Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India.

There continues to be a dispute among Hindus and Muslims about whether a Hindu temple had been on the site before the 16th century.  Hindus believe the area to be the birthplace of their revered god, Rama.  The mosque was listed as a protected monument under the Indian "Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904," and courts continued to protect the mosque as an historic landmark.  Nevertheless, some Hindu radicals opposed the court rulings, insisting that the mosque be torn down and a temple built in honor of Rama.

On December 6-7, 1992, thousands of Hindu activists destroyed the ancient mosque, razing it to the ground in the modern world's worst act of vandalism against a religious house of worship.  Muslims were naturally angered by the illegal act and the government's lack of action to protect the minority Muslim community.  Rioting broke out, leading to the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.