THE BULLETIN
THE INAUGURATION OF a vast temple dedicated to Lord Ram, one of Hinduism’s most revered deities, on Jan. 22 has set India on edge once again. The temple in the city of Ayodhya sits where a centuries-old mosque once stood before it was destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992, setting off sectarian violence that claimed 2,000 lives. What Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heralded as the beginning of a “new era,” others saw as a Hindu-nationalist spectacle.
CEMENTING LEGACIES As a state official Modi vowed, before the mosque was destroyed, not to return to Ayodhya until the temple was built on the site, which Hindus regard as the birthplace of Ram. Its opening marks another milestone in his party’s effort to transform India from a secular democracy to an avowedly Hindu nation. While other efforts have drawn international notice and expressions of concern—including revoking the special status of Kashmir and an act blocking citizenship for Muslim immigrants—the temple represents “the ultimate moment of Modi as a Hindunationalist leader,” says Indian journalist Rana Ayyub. “And this is the ultimate moment of creating the Indian Muslim as a second-class citizen.” Leaders of the opposition Congress Party opted to skip the ceremony, which they describe as “a political project.”
SALT IN THE WOUND
Despite the government’s framing of the event as an occasion of national celebration, for many within India’s Muslim minority,
