NEW DELHI: The no-namaz order in the park in Sector 58 of Noida is the “right” step taken by the authorities against Muslims “illegally” offering prayers in a public place, says Haider Ansari, an electrician working with an MNC, but for someone like Mohammad Arif, who gets only a short break during the day, it is “unfair”, as now he will have to travel 5 km from his office to the mosque every Friday.
Ansari and Arif were among the large number of men who used to visit the park for weekly prayers before Pankaj Rai, the Station House Officer in the Sector 58 police station, issued a notice to more than 20 companies in the area on December 19, asking them to ensure that their employees did not gather in the park.According to police, there were complaints from local residents about more than 500 Muslims gathering in the park on Fridays to offer namaz. They said maintenance of law and order was the reason behind the order.
Calling the police action the “right step”, Ansari said, “when there is a designated place of worship, the police are correct in issuing this notice.”According to the 24-year-old electrician, working at APT Electronics Private Limited, it was important to follow the rules. “Earlier, I went to the park to offer namaz. Now that this order has come, I will follow this rule. Last Friday also I went to the masjid. There is no point in objecting to the order when it is against an illegal practice,” he said.
Mohammad Arif, 34, who works at a call centre in the area and has a lunch break of half an hour, said he was “quite upset about the order”. “This is certainly unfair for an order of this sort to be announced against a religion. This is an old practice. There hasn’t been any objection to it earlier. Why now,” he asked, adding: “It is not possible for me and others like me to visit the faraway mosque and also eat in the same short break every Friday.”
Sajre Alam, a rickshaw-puller in the area, said the gathering in the park had been a common sight on Fridays for the past four to five years, but he never joined it. “I am a Muslim, but totally against this practice for reasons of safety and security. God forbid if the huge bunch of Muslims come under attack from those raising objections, a blame game will start among political leaders”.