01/21/2024 9:30 pm (current 01/21/2024 9:30 pm)
Hindu temple was built on the site of a destroyed mosque ©APA/AFP
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated an important and controversial temple in the pilgrimage city of Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The temple was built on the site where the popular Hindu god Ram was said to have been born and where a historic mosque once stood. Radical Hindus destroyed them more than three decades ago, which led to major riots with hundreds of deaths.
Critics also see the religious ritual event as a sign of the country's growing Hinduization, where religious minorities increasingly feel like second-class citizens. Modi will celebrate the inauguration of the church with several thousand guests – including important businessmen and big stars from the world of cinema and sports. At the same time, the event will be broadcast live on television throughout the country. Several states declared Monday a holiday.
The construction of the temple is also an election promise of Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party. He is now fulfilling this task – just a few months before this year's parliamentary elections. India is the most populous democracy in the world, with around 1.4 billion inhabitants – around 80% are Hindus and around 14% are Muslims.