File image of namaz being offered at a Gurugram site. Photo: PTI
New Delhi: A day after it was
reported that the Sikh community in Gurgaon had offered space to
Muslims in gurdwaras so that they can offer namaz amidst pitched
rightwing opposition in certain areas, Indian Express has reported
that Muslims chose not to do so out of consideration for the fact that
the gurdwara had allegedly come under pressure from rightwing groups.
Ahead of the prayers on Friday, November 19, Sherdil Singh Sidhu, who
heads the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha at Gurugram’s Sabzi Mandi had
said that five gurdwaras at Sadar Bazar, Sector 39, Sector 46, Model
Town and Jacobpura had been offered to members of the Muslim community
for namaz.
Members of the Jamiat Ulama met with the committee and accepted the
offer, which they called “gracious.” Preparations were made for Muslims
to offer prayers at the gurdwaras in Sector 39 and Sadar Bazar on
Friday.
However, shortly after this announcement, local rightwing groups have begun amping up pressure on the gurdwara.
The Hindu reported
that one Ravi Ranjan, who is chairman of the local Jhatka Certification
Authority, held a meeting with members of the Shri Guru Singh Sabha,
headed by Sidhu, on its namaz offer.
“I held a meeting with the committee members and made it clear that
the gurdwara premises could not be used for ‘non-Sikh’ religious
activities,” Ranjan told Hindu.
Sidhu, in a U-turn, also told the newspaper that he had been
misquoted by media and that “he had no plans as of now to allow namaz
inside the gurdwara.”
Since yesterday was Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev
– a holy day for Sikhs – Muslim groups decided to avoid possible
security issues at the gurdwaras and instead offered prayers at the shop
of a Hindu businessman who had offered them the space.
The Express report quotes former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad
Adeeb and Altaf Ahmad of the Gurgaon Muslim Council as having said that
rightwing pressure led Muslims to not offer prayers at the gurdwaras.
“We told them we won’t inconvenience them. So, we went to thank them after the namaz,” Adeeb said.
At Sector 37, 15-20 people additionally disrupted namaz at a
playground, claiming that they wanted to play cricket at the site.
Police at the spot took them to Sector 10 police station and held a
discussion with them, according to reports.
Supporters and members of Hindutva groups have been protesting at
namaz spots across Gurugram each Friday for over two months now.
Initially promising to uphold the rights of those offering namaz at Gurugram’s 37 designated sites, police arrested nearly 30 rightwing Hindutva protesters in late October. However, within days, the Gurugram administration withdrew permission for namaz to be offered at eight of the 37 designated sites.
On November 5, a Govardhan Puja was organised by a Hindutva organisation
called the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, at a namaz site on a Friday.
BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who had threatened violence against
anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters ahead of the Delhi riots of
2020, was present at the event, which saw open calls for violence
against ‘traitors of Hindus’.
SOURCE ; THE WIRE
Social media is bold.
Social media is young.
Social media raises questions.
Social media is not satisfied with an answer.
Social media looks at the big picture.
Social media is interested in every detail.
social media is curious.
Social media is free.
Social media is irreplaceable.
But never irrelevant.
Social media is you.
(With input from news agency language)
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
We are a non-profit organization. Help us financially to keep our journalism free from government and corporate pressure
0 Comments