After a Hindu group protests against namaz, the Gurdwara association in Gurugram offered their premises for Friday prayers to the Muslims.
In Gurugram, days after Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti (SHSS), a Hindu group involving several right-wing outfits such as Bajrang Dal, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Durga Vahini, protested against the Friday namaz in the open spaces in Gurugram, the Gurdwara association of Sadar Bazar in Gurugram Gurdwara Body opened their doors for the Muslims to hold their Friday prayers on their premises.
In fact, on November 12th, the protestors had spread cow dung on the very site that the Muslims did their Namaz every Friday in their attempt to stop from using that spot.
A citizen writes on Twitter: “How to spread communal hatred? Looks like the agenda of #Vikas has been cremated and covered with #CowDung at this very site.
How to spread communal hatred? Looks like agenda of #Vikas has been cremated and covered with #CowDung at this very site. https://t.co/R7vXewnltO
— Jeetender Gupta (@jguptallb) November 12, 2021
These passionate protests and fierce acts against the Muslims led Sherdil Singh Sidhu, President of the Gurudwara of Sadar Bazar to say, “It`s `Guru Ghar`, open for all communities with no discrimination. There shouldn`t be any politics here. The basement is now open for Muslim brothers who want to offer Jumme ki namaz.
This also came after the Gurugram administration withdrew permission to offer Namaz at eight out of 37 designated sites following a complaint by SHSS members.
As per an official statement from the district administration, the permission was canceled after an objection from local people and RWA.
Sherdil Singh Sidhu said that Muslims should be allowed to offer Namaz and appealed to the people to not quarrel over petty issues.
“If there`s an open space, Muslims should be allowed to offer Namaz. We shouldn`t fight over such petty issues. People who were offering Namaz in the open sought administration`s permission and those who had problems should have approached the administration before attacking them,” he said.
The members of the Hindu outfits have been protesting against offering Namaz in open spaces in the city for over a month.
The umbrella group of Hindu groups called the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti (Joint Hindu Struggle Committee), even declared an “ultimatum” to the authorities, stating they would stop Muslim prayers themselves if the Gurugram administration fails to do so.
“We are giving a polite warning. We won’t submit more memorandums. It will then be the responsibility of the administration to maintain peace, not ours,” said Mahavir Bhardwaj, Haryana state president of the group last week.
“We are ready for lathis (sticks), we are ready to go to jail. We won’t run if we are shot at, but this will not be tolerated.”
The protests were laced with hate slogans against Muslims and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, “Protests against Friday Namaz in #Gurgaon are a perfect case of how radicalized these “protesters” have become. It’s plain hatred towards Muslims. How is practicing my faith or offering Jumah Namaz once a week for 15-20 mins hurting anyone?”
It was a heartwarming and redemptive occasion to see the Sikhs open their Gurdwara premises for the Muslims. This is the India that most citizens long to see: Unity in diversity, acceptance, and tolerance of one another irrespective of caste or religion.