The Scatterbrained Syncretist
On February 17, 2002 scores of Hindu pilgrims were murdered when a mob set their train on fire. They had been visiting Ayodha where the Babri mosque had been torn down by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992, triggering riots that left thousands of Muslims dead.
The 2002 train attack triggered riots that killed another two thousand Muslims.
Why was the Babri mosque so offensive to Hindus? In 1528, Muslim conquerors destroyed a Hindu temple, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama and built a mosque on the site. (Starting to see a pattern here?) This colonization provoked tensions between Muslims and Hindus that have continued through the centuries. In 1885 the conflict was brought to the courts and the litigation continued for a century, until the Babri mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob.
This year, an Indian court decided to resolve the question by an archeological excavation. Some Buddhists claim that a Buddhist temple stood on the site before there was a Hindu presence.
The archeologists have discovered some indications of Hindu occupation and the Muslims are working hard to discredit these findings.
