Muslim body releases official logo for mosque in Ayodhya

The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), the trust formed by the Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board for construction of an alternate mosque in Ayodhya to replace the Babri masjid, has released its official logo, which is an octagram, represented by two overlapping squares.

The logo was released on Saturday.

Athar Hussain, secretary of the mosque trust, said, the logo is an Islamic symbol — Rub-el-Hizb.

"In Arabic, 'Rub' means one fourth, while 'Hizb' means a group or party. It is a system for memorizing and facilitating recitation of the Quran, which is divided into 60 Hizbs. The symbol is used as a marker for a chapter in Arabic calligraphy," he explained.

The secretary and members of the Trust visited Dhannipur on Saturday to inspect the topography of the five acres of land, which was handed over by the district administration in the first week of August.

The delegation comprising secretary, Athar Hussain, and trustee Imran Ahmad Shibli met local clerics and members of the Muslim community in Dhannipur and adjoining villages.

The villagers assured the delegation of support and cooperation in building the mosque and other public utility facilities.

The Trust will be building a mosque along with a multi-specialty hospital, a community kitchen and a library on the land.

The Trust has already announced that the mosque will not be in the name of Babar and other facilities will be open to people of all communities.

The delegation also visited an ancient Jain temple adjoining Dhannipur — Sri Jain Swetambara Mandir Raunahi Ratnapuri of the 15th Tirthankara..