Viral videos on social media (SM) from a public park in Bharuch’s Matariya Talav area show how the public space is being occupied for offering namaz. While in one of the videos women are seen performing namaz, in another video a man is seen making the call for Islamic prayer (azaan).
The women perform namaz even as children are playing and some women were seen exercising. In another video of the same park, an elderly man can be seen reciting the azaan standing atop a slide where children would play. “Earlier, videos had gone viral where a bunch of Muslim men and women were offering namaz in Vastrapur lake park of Ahmedabad”, noted OpIndia.
As far as the Matariya Talav incident is concerned, a local resident has been quoted by the website as saying “They have started putting women and elderly men as the front of this soft street power show of strength. Women would offer namaz and an elderly man would come and do the azaan. If anyone takes any steps against them, they would again play the victim card. But this is a provocation” while adding that a few Muslim women have been using the public place for namaz for the past week.
Another resident opined that there are no Muslim residents in the area and yet the space is being used for namaz. “The entire neighborhood does not have Muslim residents. Who is that old man calling to offer prayer when people who follow the faith don’t even live there?”, the elderly local resident questioned.
In recent times, there have been reports of local residents protesting against namaz being performed at public places. Even the Gurugram Gurudwara had to withdraw permission given to Muslims for performing namaz in its premises. The Soni Faliyu and Hathikhana areas of Bharuch that were dominated by Hindus have also witnessed Hindu exodus.
(Featured Image Source: OpIndia)
