Ahead of the festival, many mosques in Uttar Pradesh have shifted Friday prayer timings
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Amid wild and venomous statements from Hindutva leaders on celebrating the Holi festival on March 14 coinciding with Friday’s congregational prayers, Muslim clerics in the Uttar Pradesh cities of Lucknow and Aligarh and other places have urged the community members to restrain themselves and take all precautionary measures to avoid any untoward incident.
The chief mufti of Aligarh, Khalid Hameed, urged Muslims to take all precautions to ensure that the festival of Holi passes off peacefully in a cordial atmosphere.
“Muslims should adopt a flexible approach. While going for Friday prayers, they should avoid passing through areas where colours are being sprinkled,” Mufti Hameed was quoted by media reports as saying.
He also urged the imams of all mosques to delay the prescribed timing of the Friday prayers by an hour to avoid any possible confrontation with the Holi revellers.
He emphasised that with minor adjustments, the Muslim community could contribute to the celebration of a peaceful Holi.
Similarly, the imam of Lucknow Eidgah has appealed to the imams of different mosques in the city to hold the obligatory congregational prayers at 2 pm that day. He also advised Muslims to offer prayers at their nearby mosques, instead of going to a distant one.
Earlier, a circle officer of Sambhal city stirred a controversy by saying that those (read Muslims) who feel uncomfortable with Holi colours should stay indoors, as the festival comes only once a year and Jumma namaz takes place 52 times a year.
The Sambhal cop Anuj Kumar Chowdhury is reported to have advised Muslims not to come out of their homes to offer prayers on Friday.
Echoing the same sentiments, the BJP legislator from Bihar’s Bisti, Haribhushan Thakur, on Monday asked members of the Muslim community to remain indoors if they have issues with the Holi celebrations.
“Holi falls on Friday this time and coincides with one of the Jummas of Ramadan. I appeal to them to stay indoors during Holi and let us celebrate it without disruption. There are 52 Fridays in a year, they (Muslims) can avoid coming out on Holi,” Thakur told reporters in Patna.
Another BJP leader and state minister, Raghuraj Singh mockingly suggested on Monday that Muslim men wear hijab made of tarpaulin to avoid any inconvenience during Holi celebrations on Friday.
“To those people, I would request that like the women there (apparently referring to Muslim women) wear hijab, and mosques are covered using tarpaulin, they can make a hijab of tarpaulin for themselves, and can move (from one place to another). They will not face any inconvenience, and will be able to offer namaz easily,” he said.
He said Holi revellers cannot be asked to throw colours within a specific range.
