Muslim council to meet admn, seek prayer site options

Permission for 20 designated locations was withdrawn following protests by right-wing outfits

GURUGRAM: A delegation of Gurgaon Muslim Council will meet Gurugram deputy commissioner on Monday to ask about the alternative sites for performing Friday prayers in the city, after permission for 20 designated locations was withdrawn following continued protests by the right-wing Hindu outfits, and following chief minister ML Khattar’s remarks on Friday that namaz in open public spaces will not be tolerated.

Altaf Ahmad, spokesperson for the Gurgaon Muslim Council, said a delegation will meet the deputy commissioner on Monday since the chief minister on Friday said that the Muslims need to discuss alternative sites for Friday prayers with the district administration. “Around five lakh Muslims stay or work in Gurugram, while there are only two mosques in new Gurugram and 11 in the old city with a total capacity of 15,000 people even if offer the Juma namaz in several jamaats (shifts). Hence, it’s extremely important that alternative sites are assigned to the Muslims until the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) approves land for building multistory mosques,” he said.

“The state Waqf Board and administration have not been able to get waqf properties vacated from encroachers. Who is being held responsible for the same,” he said, referring to suggestions that Muslims use waqf properties to offer namaz or build mosques.

A senior district administration official said they were waiting for “new orders from the state government”, based on which they will discuss the issue with both parties (Hindus and Muslims). Sanjeev Balhara, assistant commissioner of police, said they have not received the new plan of action, and added that the “new orders are expected to come by Monday”. “The deployment (for Friday prayers) will be decided on Monday after fresh directions are received,” he said. The protest against Friday namaz in open public spaces has been taking place in Gurugram since 2018. The same year, the administration designated 37 sites for Muslims to perform the Friday prayers. However, in November this year, the number of sites was cut down to 20 after members of the right-wing outfits continued to protest and disrupt prayers. Haryana CM r Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said offering namaz in public places cannot be tolerated, even as the district administration withdrew permission for Friday prayers at 20 designated sites. Hindu outfits said the issue has been resolved, according to them, after the CM made it clear that namaz will not be performed in open spaces.