Sanctity of Mosques and Muslims

Fights, Abuses And Disrespect To The Mosques Is Increasing Main Points: 1. Often sectarian differences result in clashes in mosques. 2. Sometimes Muslims fight over the appointment of an imam. 3. Sometimes, imam and muezzin quarrel over petty issues. 4. Kolkata's Nakhoda Mosque witnessed fight between deputy imam and mutawallis. 5. Allegation of rape in mosque compound was also made. ----- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 21 November 2022 Mosques are sacred places in Islam and every Muslim has his duty to preserve the sanctity of mosques. Worldly issues cannot be discussed and even speaking in a high volume is considered a disrespect to the mosque. Mosques are places of worship and so discussing sectarian issues in mosques are against the Islamic principles. Generally, God fearing and pious Muslims preserve the sanctity of mosques. But over the years, it has been observed that unpleasant incidents occur in mosque compounds. Muslims sometimes quarrel over sectarian issues. They prefer an imam of their own sect which is opposed by the opposite sect. This leads to unsavoury situation in the mosque. The difference of opinion leads to squabbles and fights. Abuses fly in the air. Sometimes, Muslims belonging to opposite sects try to capture the mosque to make it a centre of their own sect. This leads to a fight in which members from both the sects get injured fi Sabilillah ( in the path of God) . Nakhoda Mosque, Kolkata ---- One glaring example of fights and other immoral acts in the mosque compound was witnessed in the famous Nakhoda Masjid in Kolkata. A fight erupted between the deputy imam Maulana Md Shafique and the team of Mutawalli and Muezzin on 2nd September in the mosque. The deputy imam allegedly used filthy language against the Mutawalli and the muezzin who is a hafiz-e-Quran. The incident was the culmination of a series of squabbles and unsavoury incidents in the mosques. The bone of contention was the Nikah and Talaq fees which is distributed among the two deputy imams and Mutawalli and Muezzin. Recently, the Nikah fee was hiked to Rs 3500 from Rs 2700. But the share of the Mutawalli and muezzin was not increased proportionately. The Muezzin and Mutawalli demanded that their share should be increased but the deputy imams rejected their demand. Therefore, the muezzin and Mutawalli refused to accept their share. The deputy imam said that if they do not accept the amount, it will not be paid later. During this period, the Mutawalli and Muezzin proposed the decoration of the office of the deputy imam which was next to the office of the Mutawalli inside the mosque. But under the pretext of decorating the office, they demolished the wall dividing the two offices. The deputy imam expressed his indignation a the demolition of the parting wall as he had not approved of it. He asked the Mutawalli to rebuild the, wall but they did not comply with the request. So the deputy imam one day hired some labourers to rebuild the wall. The Mutawalli and the muezzin opposed the reconstruction of the wall. This led to fights and hurling of abuses. The deputy imam allegedly used force against the Mutawalli and Muezzin and also abused them in filthy language. The incident went viral on social media and the Muslims f West Bengal witnessed the shameful and embarrassing episode unfolding in a mosque complex. Earlier in May, the deputy Imam Maulana Md Shafique had allegedly hurled the microphone on the Muezzin after the Fajr prayer saying the Muezzin always lowered the volume. This had created quite a flutter among the devotees. As the incident of fight and abuses spread among the public, some representatives of Muslims took strong exception to it and formed a committee to inquire into the roots of the controversy. The committee talked to all the parties concerned and made some recommendations for permanent settlement of the dispute. During the consultations, it also came to light that some people had also alleged that the muezzin had raped a woman on the terrace of the mosque and that the Mutawalli Iqbal had dragged the muezzin down. But the Mutawalli denied it and the allegation was dismissed due to lack of witnesses and circumstantial evidence. The deputy imam is said to be close to the ruling party of the state and so he allegedly shows aggressive behaviour against his opponents. He loses temper so often and misbehaves with whoever does not toe his line. Though he has apologised to the Mutawalli and Muezzin, the incidents are a blot on the community. That the deputy imams deny his subordinates their rights and refuse to pay their fare share from the Nikah and Talaq fees is a demonstration of their hypocrisy. They say from the pulpit that Huquq ul Ibad (rights of people) should be honoured but they di not practice what they preach. The Nakhoda Mosque is one of the oldest mosques of the state and is central to the religious life of the Muslims in the state. Announcements of sightings of the new moon are made from here and so Muslims of the state keep a close watch on the happenings in this mosque. The behaviour of the deputy imam of Nakhoda mosque has caused embarrassment and anxiety among the Muslims and they hope that such incidents will not occur in this mosque and other mosques in future. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/sanctity-mosques-muslims/d/128444 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism