“Why cannot Namaz prayers happen at mosques?” It was the question that several residents in Gurugram have been asking for the past few weeks. Tired of seeing the public places like parks, roads and other spaces blocked, and eventually even illegally claimed as ‘namaz’ space, Gurugram residents have been protesting against the practice of Muslims using public places for Namaz prayers, especially on Fridays.
Residents in several sectors in Gurugram have been protesting peacefully against Muslims blocking public spaces for namaz prayers, asking why can’t they do it in mosques. The residents have faced police action and severe condemnation by the ‘secular-liberal’ media, all because they raised voices against public spaces being misused for the religious work of a particular community.
As per the latest reports, some Sikh organisations have stated that they will offer their Gurudwara for the Namaz prayers.
Gurugram’s Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara offers space for Namaz
— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2021
It’s ‘Guru Ghar’, open for all communities with no discrimination. There shouldn’t be any politics here. Basement is now open for Muslim brothers who want to offer ‘Jumme ki namaz’: Sherdil Singh Sidhu Gurudwara president pic.twitter.com/6gNW3eSuAz
Gurugram’s Sadar Bazar Gurudwara has issued a statement saying that their Gurudwara is ‘Guru Ghar’ and all communities are welcome there without any discrimination. Gurudwara president Sherdil Singh Sindhu has stated that ‘Muslim brothers’ can use their basement for offering the Jumma Namaz on Friday.
Earlier, a Hindu businessman named Akshay Yadav had offered his shop in Sector 12 to the Muslims to offer Friday namaz.
The offers by the Gurudwara and Yadav have been highlighted and hailed in media and social media as a heartwarming example of tolerance and brotherhood, the kind of ‘secular’ opium that the Indian media and intelligentsia often sells to market their rainbow dreams. However, in all this sugar-coated secularism, one fundamental fact is being ignored. Why can’t Muslims offer Namaz in mosques and why must they need public spaces and places that belong to non-Muslims to offer namaz every Friday?
The protests by local residents in Sector 47, Sector 12 and other places was never about denying namaz or preventing Muslims from praying. The protests were about public spaces like parks and roads being blocked for namaz and the concerns regarding safety, especially that of women. Public spaces are for public use, the residents were asking why does the Muslim community block those spaces when they can offer namaz in mosques.
There are so many mosques in Gurugram, why do Muslims need roads, parks and shops etc for namaz?
A simple google search shows there are several mosques in Gurugram’s sector 47 and nearby areas. There is a Rajiv Chowk mosque or Eidgah mosque, Anjuman Jama masjid, a Qasmi musalla, another Hazrat Bilal mosque, another Peer Baba ki mazar and several other Muslim places of worship. Around the general area, there is Gurugram Markaz, Sadar Bazar mosque, Masjid-e-Sharif, Jama masjid and many more.
In Sadar Bazar, where the Gurudwara is offering its basement to Muslims for namaz, there are at least two mosques showing in nearby areas. One major mosque, Jama Masjid, is just a 7-minute walk from the Gurudwara. In Gurugram as a whole, there are dozens and dozens of mosques in all areas. So why are roads and parks still being jammed for namaz?
The question here is, with so many masjids and Muslim religious spaces available why are roads and parks being blocked for namaz? The Gurugram administration had even allocated public spaces to the Muslim community to use as namaz spaces and the local residents had been protesting peacefully against it.
After protests by the local residents, the administration had withdrawn an earlier order allowing namaz in 8 public spaces. According to reports, the selected locations were Bengali Basti Sector 49, V-Block DLF-III, Surat Nagar Phase-1, Outside Khedi Majra Village, On Dwarka Expressway, Near Daulatabad Village, Sector-68, Near Ramgarh Village, Near DLF Square Tower and Between Rampur village to Nakhdaula road.
There is nothing wrong in Sikhs offering Gurudwara and Hindus coming forward to offer their personal properties for Muslims to offer namaz. But it is notable here that the locals in Gurugram had been opposing blocking of public spaces by a particular community and they have been vilified as haters for a legitimate demand.
