• Download the Constitution of Pakistan
  • Advertise
WRITE FOR US
Economy.pk
No Result
View All Result
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Life & Style
  • Health
  • World
  • Videos
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Life & Style
  • Health
  • World
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Economy.pk
No Result
View All Result
Home World

No place to pray: Muslim worshippers under pressure in India

by News Desk
December 24, 2021
in World
Reading Time: 4 mins read
No place to pray: Muslim worshippers under pressure in India

Muslims roll mats after offering Friday prayers in an open ground in Gurgaon, after several prayer sites were closed by the authorities following demands by right wing Hindu groups calling for banning Muslim prayers in open spaces.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Indian muslims are left with no place to pray publicly after the Haryana chief minister declared that outdoor prayers in Gurgaon “will no longer be tolerated”.

Dinesh Bharti drives around with other activists on Fridays, heckling and harassing Muslims praying outside in Gurgaon — the latest flashpoint of sectarian tensions under India’s Hindu nationalist government.

Muslims praying in the open “create problems in the country and the entire world”, the thickset Hindu man in his 40s said, a red tilak on his forehead marking him out as a devout member of India’s majority religion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election in 2014 emboldened hardline groups who see India as a Hindu nation and its 200 million-strong Muslim minority as potentially dangerous outsiders.

Gurgaon is a modern satellite city of the capital New Delhi. Around 500,000 Muslims either live there, have migrated to the area for work or labour there during the day.

The city has 15 mosques for them, but the local government has refused permission to build more — even as the number of Hindu temples has grown.

This has forced the community to hold Friday afternoon prayers — the most important of the week for Muslims — in open spaces.

In recent years, Hindu groups have sprayed cow dung at Muslim prayer sites and called worshippers terrorists and Pakistanis.

The local government, meanwhile, has steadily cut the number of approved outdoor worship sites and Muslims are left with no place to pray.

Earlier this month, the Haryana state chief minister, a member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, declared that outdoor prayers in Gurgaon “will no longer be tolerated”.

Undermining their argument that religion can be practised only indoors, Hindu groups celebrated last Friday by setting up a makeshift temple and community kitchen to feed hundreds as devotional music blared.

Across town, hundreds of Muslims queued to take turns to worship at one of only six remaining prayer venues still available.

At another site, Muslims were heckled and forced to chant slogans such as “Hail Lord Ram” — a Hindu deity — that have proliferated under Modi among his supporters.

“If the government doesn’t find a solution to the issue … it will become more complicated and serious,” Sabir Qasmi, a Muslim cleric, told AFP.

Modi is a lifelong member of the hardline Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Hindu nationalist group.

He was briefly barred from the United States over religious riots in Gujarat in 2002 when he was state chief minister.

Since his coming to power, a string of lynchings of Muslims by Hindu mobs for so-called cow protection — a sacred animal for many Hindus — and other hate crimes has sown fear and despair in the community.

Several states have brought in legislation criminalising conversion to Christianity and Islam, including through marriage — or “love jihad” as Hindu hardliners call it.

This week, a video emerged from a recent gathering of right-wing Hindu groups in which some delegates called for Muslims to be killed, reports said.

Hindu protesters in Gurgaon say outdoor prayers pose a “security” risk, cause traffic problems and prevent children from playing cricket.

But critics say the real reason is simply that Muslims have no place to pray in Modi’s new intolerant India, where Hindu zealots are dictating government policy.

Arati R. Jerath, a political commentator, said there is an agenda to convert India from a pluralistic and secular nation into a “Hindu country”.

“Whether it is economic spaces or spaces for worship, or spaces for the food and customs or anything with a Muslim identity, that is going to be part of the project,” Jerath told AFP.

“It is not necessarily a government-sponsored project, but certainly a project by the supporters of this government, who … get tacit support from the government.”

On Sunday, the head of a Hindu umbrella group proposed a solution: Muslims should convert.

“They will have their temples to pray and this (prayer) issue will end,” said Mahaveer Bhardwaj, chairman of the Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti.

Tags: Indialatest
News Desk

News Desk

Related Posts

Subway Unveils a Flying Restaurant: Serving Sandwiches 1,000 Feet Above the Ground

Subway Unveils a Flying Restaurant: Serving Sandwiches 1,000 Feet Above the Ground

In a groundbreaking move that is set to elevate the dining experience to new heights, Subway has unveiled its latest...

Saudi crown prince says he does not care about ‘sportswashing’ claims

Saudi crown prince says he does not care about ‘sportswashing’ claims

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has stated that he is unconcerned with claims of "sportswashing" against the monarchy and...

Canadian Intelligence Confirms Indian Connection in Nijjar's Murder

Canadian Intelligence Confirms Indian Connection in Nijjar’s Murder

Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim that India was involved in the death of a Canadian national on its land,...

Another Sikh leader shot dead in Canada amid Ottawa-Delhi row

Another Sikh leader shot dead in Canada amid Ottawa-Delhi row

 Sukhdool Singh aka Sukha Duneke, a Sikh leader campaigning for Khalistan, was shot dead in Winnipeg, Canada. Singh was wanted...

Israel PM says ‘historic peace’ possible with Saudi Arabia

Israel PM says ‘historic peace’ possible with Saudi Arabia

As he met with US President Joe Biden in New York on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested an...

Singapore set to introduce passport-free departures

Singapore set to introduce passport-free departures

Passengers using Singapore's Changi Airport will soon look forward to a game-changing advancement in air travel. Certain visitors will no...

Next Post
Punjab CTD gets Rs810m funds to buy modern weapons

Punjab CTD gets Rs 810m funds to buy Modern Weapons

Please login to join discussion

Recent Posts

  • Ireland Govt announces Paid Postgraduate Scholarships 2024 for international students including Pakistan
  • Gautam Gambhir expects Babar Azam to shine in World Cup
  • IT Ministry Started Preparations For the Launch of 5G Services
  • Zaka Ashraf included in PPP’s parliamentary board for general elections
  • Petrol Price may go down in Pakistan from Oct 1

Advertisement

Twitter

Economy.pk

Economy.pk is a source of economic, political, business, finance, health and sports updates.

Categories

  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Life & Style
  • Health
  • World
  • Videos

Privacy & Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

© 2023 Economy.pk

No Result
View All Result
  • VIDEOS
  • World
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Oceania
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Finance
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Real Estate
  • Technology
    • Cyber Security
    • Mobiles
    • Social Media
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Life & Style
    • Personalities
    • Art
    • Culture
    • History
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
      • Environment
      • Fitness
  • Sponsored

© 2023 Economy.pk