Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Close on the heels of the disruption of Taraweeh prayers by some Rashtriya Bajrang Dal miscreants in Moradabad, a ruckus has now erupted in Greater Noida with some elements raising a hue and cry over namaz being offered by Muslims in the basement of a residential colony on Monday night. Several people have taken to social media to express their anguish and dismay over the sequence of events whereby Muslims are being prevented from performing their religious obligation.
On Monday night, some residents of Supertech Ecovillage-2 Society in Greater Noida started protesting as namaz was being offered in the basement of a building. According to reports, some residents have been complaining about the namaz to the society authorities but they did not pay attention. On Monday, the residents created a ruckus on the issue following which the police reached the spot and dismantled all arrangements made for the purpose of congregational prayers.
In a statement released by the Noida police, the DCP of Central Noida said that 30-40 worshippers were offering namaz at an empty place of a commercial building in the society. However, some Hindu community members raised objections to the namaz claiming that outsiders were being allowed to enter the place.
“Upon their objections, Muslims themselves decided that they won’t offer namaz at the place. Both parties are agreeing on this decision. There is peace in the area,” said the police.
The incidents of namaz disruptions have drawn anger on social media with many raising questions as to why it was being done.
Sweden-based academic and writer of Indian origin, Professor Ashok Swain, asked: “Why are these Hindus of a housing society near India’s capital Delhi creating a ruckus? They are angry because some Muslim residents of the society are offering namaz in the basement. When Hindus became so weak to fear the prayers of a Muslim?”
Swain is currently a professor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University.
Journalist Samar Halanakar said that Hindus take over streets to celebrate their festivals but are not ready to tolerate namaz in a basement and a godown.
Historian Rana Safvi asked why offering namaz is becoming problematic for some people. Muslim want to offer their namaz in peace.
Kalim, a noted social media user and a researcher at Altnews, urged elite Hindus to acknowledge that there was a problem in their own backyard.
“Muslims in North India can’t even pray in peace because the Hindu majority gets angry and causes legal problems and the authorities side with these aggressors,” he tweeted.
