Amid Namaz Row In Gurugram, Sadar Bazar Gurudwara, Others Offer Space To Muslims For Friday Prayers

Sadar Bazar Gurudwara president Sherdil Singh Sidhu said four more gurdwaras under the committee overseen by him will be opened for namaz

Namaz being offered at Gurugram. (File Photo)

New Delhi: With the Gurugram administration’s decision to withdraw permission of offering namaz at previously designated places, gurdwaras in Gurugram have opened their premises for Muslims to offer Friday prayers. 

“It's 'Guru Ghar', open for all communities with no discrimination. There shouldn't be any politics here. Basement is now open for Muslim brothers who want to offer 'Jumme ki namaz',” Gurugram’s Sadar Bazar Gurudwara president Sherdil Singh Sidhu said, according to news agency ANI.

Gurugram's Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara offers space for Namaz

It's 'Guru Ghar', open for all communities with no discrimination. There shouldn't be any politics here. Basement is now open for Muslim brothers who want to offer 'Jumme ki namaz': Sherdil Singh Sidhu Gurudwara president pic.twitter.com/6gNW3eSuAz

— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2021

Earlier this month, the Gurugram administration cancelled namaz permission given for eight out of the 37 designated places due to objections from local residents. “Consent from the administration is necessary for Namaz in any public and open place. If local people have objections at other places also, permission will not be given to offer Namaz there too,” the administration had stated.

In the past month, incidents of some local residents disrupting the Friday prayers have been reported. 

Now, the locals from other communities have come forward to offer places for holding prayers. “If there's an open space, Muslims should be allowed to offer namaz... & we shouldn't fight over such petty issues. People who were offering namaz in open sought administration's permission & those who had problems should have approached admin before attacking them,” Sadar Bazar Gurudwara president Sherdil Singh Sidhu said.

If there's an open space, Muslims should be allowed to offer namaz... & we shouldn't fight over such petty issues. People who were offering namaz in open sought administration's permission & those who had problem should have approached admin before attacking them: Gurudwara pres pic.twitter.com/Md4eAcLhbE

— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2021

A local Hindu resident, Akshay Yadav, 40, also offered his vacant shop to Mislims for Friday prayers, The Indian Express reported. 

According to the report, Sidhu said four more gurdwaras under the committee overseen by him will be opened for namaz.

Sidhu also appealed to the worshippers to maintain social distancing in the wake of the upcoming Guru Nanak Jayanti. “We are celebrating the birth anniversary of our first Guru (Guru Nanak Dev) on Friday. These gurdwaras can accommodate over 2,000 people, but we have proposed that people pray in small batches of 30-40 and maintain social distancing on account of Covid,” Sidhu was quoted as saying in the repprt.