Hidayatullah.com—Hindu activists allegedly patrolled before mocking and harassing pilgrims performing Friday prayers in open areas around Gurgaon or Gurugram, adding to tension in India under the Hindu nationalist government. One of them, Dinesh Bharti, in his 40s and with a red “tilak” on his forehead, claims that Muslims who pray outdoors “cause trouble in this country and around the world.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election victory in the 2014 election has been viewed as “brave” by hard-line groups who allegedly view India as a Hindu nation, while its minority of around 200 million Muslims is viewed as “potentially dangerous outsiders”. quote AFP.

Gurugram is a modern suburb of the capital New Delhi that is home to around 1.1 million Muslims who migrate to the area to work or work during the day. There are 15 mosques in the city and the local government is said to refuse to build more places of worship, but at the same time the number of Hindu temples continues to grow.

Around 100 such sites are planned for this purpose. Unfortunately, this policy has been canceled due to opposition from hardliners.

Read: Anti-Islam group spreads invitations to the “Hindu Festival” at Friday prayers

This situation forced Muslims to offer Friday prayers outdoors. Indeed, in recent years Hindu groups have been accused of spraying cow dung on Muslim prayer areas and ridiculing the Jama’at as “terrorists” and “Pakistan” – an allusion to the predominantly Muslim neighboring country and one of India’s main enemies.

At the same time, the local government should further reduce the number of open areas for pilgrims to pray. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Haryana, who is also a member of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party, reportedly stated that open prayer was “no longer accepted” in Gurgaon.

Read: Indian Prime Minister: Muslims cannot pray Friday prayers in open spaces in Gurugram

But last Friday, Hindu groups reportedly built makeshift temples and soup kitchens to feed hundreds of people with a bang. On the other hand, hundreds of Muslims were seen waiting in line to pray because of the lack of mosques.

Elsewhere, Muslims are said to have been harassed by irresponsible groups who allegedly also forced them to shout slogans to worship Hindu gods. “If the government doesn’t find a solution to this problem, it becomes more complicated and serious,” said one clergyman AFP. *

Representative: Ahmad
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