Bar on Friday Prayers in South Delhi Mosques: Muslims React with Anger, Fear

New Delhi, 23 Mar 2022 [Fik/News Sources]: March 18 was a day for Holi, an important festival for Hindus, which coincided with Shab-e-Baraat, a special occasion for Muslims. But in a bizarre development, the police in South Delhi prohibited congregational Friday prayers in at least 16 mosques without assigning any reason, reports and local Muslims confirmed.  One of these mosques is a 500-year-old protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in Pancheel park area.

Niyaz Ahmad, the Imam of the mosque said hours before the schedule for the prayers, police men landed at the mosque to ask him not to hold prayers. “When I asked them the reason, they said they are following orders from the top,” Niyaz said while speaking to Clarion India.

He speculated that the possible reason for this sudden prohibition on prayers could be Holi. He still could not figure what could have been the reason for the move since the area has always been peaceful. The police neither gave him any reason verbally, nor did they show any written order for the same.

Locals were told by the police to offer prayers at an alternative place that day.

For the mosque, which is a protected monument, the locals fought a legal battle in early 2,000 after a resident association filed a PIL seeking clearance of “illegal” structures added to the monument and its surroundings. In 2006, on the directions of the high court, authorities demolished the additional structures.

But to the discomfiture of Muslims, Friday namaz too was stopped at Nilli Masjid in Malviya Nagar which also comes under ASI, Mohammadi Masjid and Eidgah in Hauz Khas area near Chor Minar.
“When I sought from the police officer the reason for not allowing Juma namaz, he said there are 16 mosques where Juma namaz would not be allowed. I then asked him for a copy of the list with the order, but he refused to oblige,” Mohammad Khalid, caretaker of the Nilli Masjid, was quoted by Maktoob Media in a report.

The Muslims of the area are apprehending that the administration is trying to go by the Hindutva playbook.

Most of the Muslims believe law and order in view of the festival of Holi could be a possible reason for the bar on namaz. But what’s intriguing them is that the matter could have been resolved amicably with the tweaking of the timing of the namaz.

Former Delhi Minority Commission chairman, Zafarul Islam Khan, cited example of Lucknow in his tweet condemning the ban on Friday prayers in the areas of the National Capital.