The architect assigned with designing a mosque in Ayodhya said that it would be built in the contemporary style and not as per “traditional, nostalgic imagery”, and there would be no element of Babri mosque in the new Ayodhya mosque.
Dean of Jamia Millia Islamia university’s architecture department, SM Akthar, has been chosen for the job to be overseen by UP Sunni Waqf Board in the five-acre land allotted for the mosque in Dhanipur village as per a Supreme Court order in the Ayodhya title case in November, 2019.
Akhtar also said that he would take it as a responsibility to deliver the project that could serve the society and the complex would provide a glimpse of Hindustaniyat, insaniyat (humanity) as well as Islamic values.
“Community and nation-building are important and education plays a key role here. And I don’t just mean traditional education. Knowing yourself, your culture and your history is equally important, if not more,” the professor said.
“Old mosques were built according to traditions of that time. Today, it will be constructed keeping in mind the needs and requirements of the 21st century. The design of 16th century will not work for the new mosque. Today, mosques are being constructed in India as well as entire Europe, following new designs,” said Akhtar, a native of Lucknow.
He also said that the mosque would be constructed in an area spanning over 15,000 square feet, as Babri Masjid also covered that much of space.
“The mosque’s design will be completely unique,” he added.
Akhtar said, “Very soon, its design work will start. One of my teams will work on this. As soon as its design is complete, we will present it before Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) . All this might take some time as people’s opinion also needs to be sought. Right now, it will be early to comment on anything related to timing and cost of construction.”
Besides the mosque, the complex at Dhanipur village will also have a research centre, hospital, community kitchen and a museum and the IICF is making a public appeal for donations to aid the construction work. The IICF has opened accounts in ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank in Lucknow for this purpose.
In February this year, the Sunni Waqf Board established a trust, Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), which handed over the responsibility of designing the mosque to reknowned architect SM Akhtar.