By Dr. Aslam Abdullah
The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin launched its mega heritage project in the 75th year of India’s Independence by making the Islamic heritage of India website public. The Islamicheritage.com website would feature all current and past buildings, such as forts, mosques, temples, inns, hospitals, and gardens constructed by Muslims. All 29 states and nine union territories have footprints of Muslim heritage. Additionally, the website also has current information on hotels and restaurants that maintain Muslim dietary rules.
At present, the site has over 200 entries from all over India. However, once completed, the site would have millions of entries. Therefore, AFMI decided to launch the project at its annual convention held in Columbus in 2019. The project committee includes Aslam Abdullah, Saeed Patel, Altaf Patel, Babu Khalfan, and Siraj Thakur. Unfortunately, Dr. Hussain Nagamia, the original member of the committee, passed away in 2021.
India has millions of monuments with Muslim footprints spread over 664,369 villages administered through 718 districts. Some are under the administration of Waqf boards, others under the Archeological Survey of India. Still, many others are in ruins or dilapidated conditions with communal ownership. Many of these places are under the illegal occupation of individuals or organizations. The website would centralize the information in one place.
People can search the data through type, state or district. Mosques, shrines, monuments, eateries, and others are five categories. All of India’s 713 districts are in the database with map tools to help visitors locate the longitude and latitude.
The website will also provide hotels and halal food restaurants for tourists. AFMI hopes that the site would serve as a resource to students, researchers, and tourists. Anyone can submit entries to the website. The information gives a brief history, address, year of construction, and a photograph and video if available.
The membership of the website is free. People can open a free account and use their id to submit information. Please
visit theislamicheritage.com to review the site?