In its martyrdom, the Babri Masjid has demolished several myths revolving around India, besides making the Muslims realize their own follies and powerlessness too. That India is a secular country is one myth the Muslims have yet to come to terms with. In the demolition, the Babri Masjid exposed the “secular” leaders in the Congress Party, who wore Hindutva knickers inside their secular apparel. If BJP leader Narendra Modi presided over the mass killings of the Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, the Congress leader, P. V. Narasimha Rao, the then prime minister, did everything to see that the demolition is foolproof. Rao kept fiddling till a makeshift temple was erected in place of the Masjid. The Congress Party in general kept quiet. Not a Muslim leader resigned in protest. For the Muslims of India, both the leaders proved to be non-secular Hindus, who saw to it that Muslims are mercilessly killed, denied rights to protect their places of worship, and hence denied any justice worth name. The Liberhan Commission that was set up to inquire into the events leading to the demolition of the Babri Mosque will prove to be an eyewash, was known from the very beginning. And hence, Muslims always considered the inquiry as a non-starter from the very start. If they still pin hope on something it is the case going on in the Special Branch of Allahabad High Court under the Supreme Court's order. The Liberhan Report on the Babri Masjid demolition and Action Taken Report (ATR) on it were tabled in the Lower House on Nov. 24, a day after the leakage of the findings that had set off a political storm. The report has underscored the criminal culpability of the Sangh Parivar in clear terms and has named top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as involved in the demolition. In all, it has hauled up 68 important figures responsible for “leading the country to the brink of communal discord”. The report has sadly exonerated Narasimha Rao of all his follies. According to Dr. Khurshid Akhtar, who teaches at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, this omission needs to be examined in detail because the report tries to whitewash Rao and endorse his false defense. Justice M.S. Liberhan, who headed the commission, didn't recommend any punitive action. Instead, he has asked the central government to bring sweeping reforms in various areas, like the selection process of bureaucrats, media regulations, statutory power to National Integration Council and special law for misuse of religion. The Center has not rejected any of the recommendations, but the ATR too does not promise punitive actions against the accused. In the absence of any viable leadership, Dr. Khurshid advised Muslims to empower themselves through education and self-employment as also nationwide business enterprises. It is lamentable that the organizations and institutes working in the name of Muslims and Islam too kept serving none but their own members, chairmen, presidents and kinsmen. That explains the reason why Muslims even after 60 years of independence continue to feel powerless and short of confidence to rise to any occasion.
