Tag: Friday prayers

  • ‘Brotherhood, humanity’: Sikhs open gurdwaras for Friday prayers after Muslims attacked by Hindu extremists

    ‘Brotherhood, humanity’: Sikhs open gurdwaras for Friday prayers after Muslims attacked by Hindu extremists

    After an official ban on Muslim prayers at open places in India’s Gurugram city near New Delhi, a local organisation taking care of gurdwaras, holy places of the Sikh religion, has announced opening the doors of a gurdwara for Muslims.

    Hindu extremists have been protesting against the Muslims’ act of offering Friday prayers at open places outside mosques for the last several weeks. As Muslims in larger numbers swarm to mosques to say their weekly Friday prayers, mosques mostly cannot accommodate these big numbers of worshipers and they have to use the open places outside the mosques to say their prayers.

    Keeping in view the protests by Hindu extremists, the local authorities in Gurugram city have stopped Muslims from using the open places outside the mosques to offer their Friday prayers and cancelled the permission letters issued earlier in this regard.

    Hindu extremists have also been disrupting the Muslim Friday prayers at open places by raising their religious slogans.

    Last week, Hindu extremists filled an open place with cow dung where Muslims were going to say their Friday prayers the next day. They said they wanted to turn that place into a volleyball court.

    Against this backdrop, an organisation associated with gurdwaras of the Sikh religion has come forward and announced opening a gurdwara in Gurugram so that Muslims can offer their Friday prayers there.

    Harteerath Singh, Community Development Director at Hemkunt Foundation, wrote on Twitter, “Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara is now open for our Muslim brothers to offer their daily namaz keeping in mind the recent events that took place in the city.”

    Despite of death threats, he said that he will “always stand up for truth and sewa (help).”

    https://twitter.com/HarteerathSingh/status/1461355592027496467?s=20

    In another tweet, he added: “The best part is tomorrow is Guru Nanak Dev jis Gurpurab and Friday namaaz too. What a spectacular sight it will be tomorrow- prime example of brotherhood and humanity!”

    Thousands of Sikh pilgrims will attend the 552nd birth anniversary commemorations in Kartarpur today. An 18-member delegation led by Indian Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh entered Pakistan from the Kartarpur corridor on Thursday.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has also extended felicitations to Sikhs.

  • VIDEO: Woman SHO assaulted as clash with worshippers erupts outside Karachi mosque

    At least one cop, a woman SHO [Station House Officer], sustained injuries after a clash between local police and worshippers erupted outside a mosque in Karachi on Friday.

    According to the details, the clash took place outside Haqqani Masjid located in the Peerabad locality of the port city as people flocked to the mosque for Friday prayers despite a government ban and complete lockdown across the metropolis on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

    A video available with The Current showed the enraged injured cop, namely Sharafat [as per her nameplate], shouting at the police personnel for arriving late, and sharing how the mob took an attempt on her life.

    “They broke my glasses,” she can be heard as saying while also instructing her staff to initiate legal proceedings.

    The video also showed hundreds of worshippers exiting the mosque.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier in the day, Sindh Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah said that the ban on congregational prayers across the province will be strictly followed for Friday prayers.

    Shah requested that people pray at their homes and limit their movements outside from 12 pm to 3 pm in the afternoon. He also asked citizens to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in this regard.

    “The purpose of the measures being adopted is to protect the people against the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the lockdown would actually make the lives of people safer in the long run.

    “The restriction of the prayer congregations has been enforced to protect the lives of citizens,” Shah clarified. “The religious leaders have backed the efforts made by the Sindh government in this regard,” he added.

    Sindh with 1,214 COVID-19 infections is trailing far behind Punjab where the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus has reached 2,280 — highest in the country.

    While the number of infections across Pakistan has reached 4,688 with at least 68 deaths, people still do not appear to be taking government-imposed lockdowns seriously.