Jammed Mosques Welcome India's Ramadan
Earlier, the rising number of people had to offer taraweeh prayer outside mosques on roads causing inconvenience to others. However, there are many places where people still have to offer prayer outside the mosque.
“It is something which cannot be rectified quickly. With the increase in Muslim population and those attending these special prayers, it is a challenge for mosques to accommodate all of them on their premises,” Irshad Hasan, who looks after planning of a mosque in central India, told OnIslam.net.
However, people feel that majority of managing committees of mosques in India have done a remarkable work with limited funds.
“Almost every mosque in India depends on donations from individuals. Expansion or any construction work requires funds and that funds come from the members of the community here in India,” said Arif Aziz, a journalist who has written a book on mosques in central Indian city of Bhopal.
"They have utilized the available resources in the best possible way."
Meanwhile, mosque administrators in many parts of the country are facing another challenge with Hindu hardliners pitching for ban on use of loudspeakers during Fajr Azan (prayer call from mosque at dawn) as it disturbs others since most of them are asleep at this time.
Some Hindu organizations have even approached High Courts in their respective states in this regard, but without success so far.
“People in this country, whether Hindu or Muslim, are free to follow their own religion. But this does not mean that they (Muslims) should misuse this freedom and cause hardship to others," Ashutosh Jaiswal, leader of radical Hindu outfit Hindu Mahasangh, told OnIslam.net.
"Our associated organizations have approached courts. We believe that use of sound amplifiers during early morning prayers should be prohibited as it a real nuisance for all non-Muslims.”
Muslims, on the other hand, are outraged over the demand and see it as an infringement on their religious freedom.
However, the issue is not likely to snowball into a major controversy at least for the time being as Ramadan promotes amity, fraternity and harmony and even diehards would not do anything to disturb amity during this time.
Muslims account for 180 million of India's 1.1 billion people, the world's third-largest Islamic population after those of Indonesia and Pakistan.
Source: On Islam
