Gurgaon Gurudwara offers space to Muslims for Friday Namaz

Gurugram, Nov 18: In an act of brotherhood, the Gurudwara association of Sadar Bazar in Gurugram in Haryana has offered their premises for Muslims for Friday prayers. It comes after objections by right-wing outfits and local residents over offering namaz in public and open spaces.

"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'," news agency ANI quotes Sherdil Singh Sidhu, President, Gurudwara Guru Singh Sabha, Sadar Bazar, as saying.

Out of 37 designated sites, the Gurugram administration had withdrawn permission to perform namaz at eight places.

"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 and those who had problems should have approached the administration before attacking them," he added.

The five gurdwaras, which are under the committee's administration, are located in Sadar Bazar, Sector 39, Sector 46, Model Town and Jacobpura, as per The Indian Express.

The gurudwaras can accommodate over 2,000 people, but the committee has advised the Muslims to come in small batches of 30-40 to maintain social distancing due to Covid-19.

The local Muslims have welcomed the development stating that it will help to promote harmony among the two communities. "This is a true example of brotherhood where people from multiple faiths have come forward to defeat divisive forces, who have been spreading hatred and communal disharmony in Gurgaon over the last two months," Altaf Ahmad, co-founder of Gurgaon Muslim Council, is quoted as saying by the daily.