Gurudwaras Open Doors for Namaz After Restrictions on Muslim prayer sites In Gurugram, Haryana

Gurudwaras in Gurugram in Haryana have been earning love and criticisms alike on social media after they opened their doors to offer space for offer Namaz inside their premises to Muslim devotees.

The act of kindness came during protests and outrage over the decision to not permit Muslims to offer namaz at 8 locations in Gurugram. The incident has led to a fight on social media.

This started when the district administration of Gurugram prohibited the offering of namaz at certain locations due to objections from the Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) and numerous right-wing organizations.

During outrage and protests regarding the incident, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij earlier in November said that religious ceremonies should be carried out inside the respective places of worship.

This week, however, numerous gurudwaras in Gurugram have opened their doors to. Muslim devotees, allowing them space to come inside and offer namaz.

The President of Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha which administers 5 gurudwaras said that the Gurudwaras were open to people from all communities with no discrimination. He also urged people to not do politics over the issue.

Many Trolls and right-wing groups on Twitter have since been targeting Sikhs on social media with many making communal remarks against both Sikh and Muslim communities.

Since 29th October, numerous attempts have been made to interrupt Friday prayers or ‘Jumma Namaz’ in assigned namaz sites in Gurugram.

Previous week, a businessman in Gurugram had won praise for offering his private property to Muslim members after alleged attacks from right-wing organizations during last week’s ‘Jumma Namaz’.

Namaz inside Gurudwaras is not unheard of. Numerous Gurudwaras open their doors for Muslim brethren to offer namaz inside their premises during Eid. In September 2017, for instance, a Gurdwara in Joshimath, Uttarkhand, had offered its prayer rooms during Eid in a show of communal harmony.