Board in no hurry to name Barkati’s replacement
Chastened by the bitter experience with former imam Syed Noor-ur Rehman Barkati, trustees of Kolkata’s Tipu Sultan Mosque have become cautious in selecting a new imam.
Arif Ahmed, chairman of Prince Gulam Mohammed Waqf Estate, custodian body of the Tipu Sultan Masjid, told HT they are not in a hurry to appoint an imam. A muezzin is administering namaz temporarily in the mosque that was built in 1842 in the heart of downtown Kolkata.
Barkati was sacked on May 17 for his anti-national remarks and his continuous refusal to remove the red beacon from his car. “We will issue a formal advertisement in newspapers for the appointment for an appointment. A search committee headed by the caretaker of the religious affairs of the mosque will examine applications as well as recommendations from different bodies, such as association of imams and mosque committees. After vetting all applications, the committee will make its final recommendation to the board of trustees of the estate, who will finally give the appointment,” Ahmed said.
The position carries a monthly salary of ₹10,000 apart from the cost of running the imam’s office and statutory provident fund, seniority allowance, and medical allowances.
“The new candidate needs to be a hafiz. In other words, he has to memorise the sermons of Quran. He should also be a keerat, which means someone with a melodious and attractive style of administering namaz,” said Ahmed.
The trustees will give preference to someone with a genial temperament. “Barkati sahab was extremely hot-headed and, therefore, his temperament caused embarrassment for the mosque committee several times,” he said.
The new imam should also have not have any political bias — Barkati who frequently campaigned for the Trinamool.
The trustees will also not allow the new imam to use the mosque premises for personal businesses, a charge that Barkati frequently faced.