| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| Indian Government turns down Saudi offer to repair the Jama Masjid |
| 2006-04-24 |
| NEW DELHI: Jama Masjid, which was rocked by bomb blasts on April 14, will not be repaired with funds from Saudi Arabia. Sources have confirmed that, after months of deliberations, the Indian government has turned down the offer made late last year by King Abdullah. The refusal is said to be the fallout of grave apprehensions expressed by intelligence and security agencies that the funds could be used to fuel terrorism and preach radical Islam in the country. The Saudi offer to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) was first reported by TOI on January 4. The MEA spokesperson had then said the offer was being examined in consultation with the concerned authority. The Saudi envoy in Delhi, Saleh Moh'd Al-Ghamdi, had stated that the offer was made after Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari sought help from them. When contacted on Sunday, Bukhari sounded bitter over the government's decision. "The issue was raised in Parliament and there was a controversy after the news appeared in your paper. The government has said no, but if money from abroad can be allowed for Christian missionaries working in the country, why not funds for repairing Jama Masjid?" asked Bukhari. Bukhari said the government's decision had raised serious doubts about its intentions. "They won't repair the mosque on their own nor allow others to do it. If there were apprehensions about the Saudi offer, the government could have kept the money asked ASI to carry on the repair work," he added. With disquiet among the security agencies, the government was always in a bind over the offer. But it did not want to take a diplomatically tricky decision as the Saudi king was also the chief guest for this year's Republic Day celebrations. The cash-strapped Delhi Waqf Board, however, had written to the ministry of home affairs that the offer be accepted because it did not have the money to repair the mosque. Bukhari said there was an urgent need to carry out repair work in the mosque, including polishing of all the minarets. He said he had asked the Saudi representative to come through the government with the offer. |
| Posted by:john |
| #6 Didn't Malaysia just bulldoze a hindu temple? See how they like it. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-04-24 23:55 |
| #5 Is that McKinney? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-24 20:07 |
| #4 Offer to ship Jama Masjid to Saudi. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-04-24 20:02 |
| #3 Built in 1656 by the Emperor Shah Jahan |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-24 20:01 |
| #2 The ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) has frequently criticized the Waqf Board for its shoddy upkeep of the mosque. What Bukhari really wants is some of the Saudi cash. |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-24 19:57 |
| #1 The Saudi envoy in Delhi, Saleh Moh'd Al-Ghamdi I'd be concerned about the strings attached to an offer from any of the alGhamdis. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-04-24 19:50 |