MUMBAI: Over 100 renowned Muslims from across the country, including actor

, actor-activist

, poet-Urdu columnist Hasan Kamaal, journalist

and activist Feroz Mithiborwala have opposed the decision of some Muslim litigants, including

(AIMPLB), to file a review petition of the Ayodhya verdict in the SC.

“We share the unhappiness of the Indian Muslim community, constitutional experts and secular organisations over the fact that the highest court has placed faith above law in arriving at its decision. But while agreeing that the court order is judicially flawed, we strongly believe that keeping the

alive will harm, and not help, Indian Muslims,” said the statement.

Javed Anand, who is also secretary of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy, said it is high time the Muslims moved away from the mandir-masjid dispute as it helps to mask the real agenda of the

, which is to replace the secular-democratic republic with a Hindu Rashtra.

The signatories to the statement observed that continuation of the dispute will add fuel to anti-Muslim propaganda and Islamophobia and aid communal polarisation. “In choosing not to pursue the matter further, Muslims stand to gain the goodwill and empathy of the non-communal millions from the majority community. This will be in the best interests of the community and the country,” they said.

At a meeting in Lucknow last week, the Muslim Personal Law Board and one faction of

decided that some Muslim litigants would go for review of the Supreme Court verdict, which gave the entire disputed land in Ayodhya to the Hindus while ordering the Centre to allot five acres in Ayodhya to the Muslims to build their mosque.