Offering Prayers (Namaz) on the roads is not Islam, Mr. Asaddudin Owaisi: Lalit K Kaul

 

Offering Prayers (Namaz) on the roads is not Islam, Mr. Asaddudin Owaisi

                                                                                                                                      Lalit K Kaul

The Pakistani anchor and political analyst Ms. Arzoo Kazmi in her show yesterday exhibited a clip which showed Mr. Owaisi offering prayers in the middle of the road having parked his car across the road. She commented that while it was not the way to offer prayers yet having done so where was the need to photograph the act and post it on the social media. She further said that posting on the media confirmed that Owaisi’s act was not religious, but political whereby he conveyed the message that Namaz should be read on the roads.

She further added that prayers should be offered at the designated places and/or at one’s residence or any other place without causing inconvenience to anybody no matter which religion he/she follows. Further she said that in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the mosques are closed after offering of the prayers and opened only during prayer hours each day; the loud speakers are kept at low intensity so that it does not disturb others residents of the area. She further said that in no Arab Nation and other Muslim countries Namaz is offered on roads. She also narrated that while reforms were being introduced in the Arab world the Muslims of South Asia had chosen to become the sole custodians of Islam and they bring only bad name to Islam.

Offering of Prayers is a matter of individual faith:

No matter to which religion one belongs performing religious activities in a way that disturbs others in the area becomes irreligious and does not qualify to be “Ibadat” and/or “Pooja”. Performing Pooja in a temple that necessitates reading of Vedic mantras is religious so long as it’s confined to the temple premises and not transmitted to a large/small area outside the temple with the help of audio/video systems. Same is true for offering Namaz or praying in a Church, a Gurudwara, a Jain and Bodh temple, because any activity that causes discomfort to others (may be just to a neighbour) cannot be religious. Ibadat or Pooja is not for public display because it’s not a political activity, but purely a matter of personal faith. It can be nobody’s argument that in a given religious community all are equally passionate about their faith; many from among them may not be as devout as the self declared custodians of a faith may expect them to be.

The beauty of Islam is that one can offer prayers no matter where in the world one is placed so long as one looks in the direction called Qibla and it points towards Ka’abah; so one finds Muslims praying while travelling in a train or journeying by some other means. When they do so, no co passenger objects to it. There are no strict instructions that Namaz has to be offered from a Mosque; there are no such directions that it should be offered causing inconvenience to others. Similarly letting Muslims know about the time of Namaz is not to be done by disturbing others; during Prophet’s time there were no loud speakers!

Similarly the beauty of Sanatan Dharm is that one can have one’s Deity and worship quietly wherever one may be; there is no such constraint that Pooja should be offered in temples only. Many do worship their Deity while travelling in their own way; have temple within the premise of their residence where they offer prayers.

Offering Prayers is not a political activity:

Mr Owaisi by your act offering Namaz on the road you are only inciting the gullible in your community to create disorder in a multi religious society and is bound to have responses from others that may lead to serious consequences. God forbid, if any such response emanates from other communities then politicians like you will raise bogey of Islam phobia! Mr. Owaisi please cite one verse in the Holy Quran that dictates that Namaz be offered on the routes that interconnect towns and cities. The politicians like you have a habit of making your presence felt and likes of you think that by doing so you are making the presence of Muslims felt in India. No, Mr Owaisi you are only assiduously trying to create an irreparable between the various religious communities who desire to live in peace with each other and you may be reminded that such insidious activities only end up dehumanizing and traumatizing societies. Kashmiri society is a living example of the consequences of the religion based politics.

The Indian Muslims Hindus Sikhs and others:      

The likes of you, Mr Owaisi; that is Hamid Ansari (two times Vice President of India), Javed Akhtar (Hindi films Lyrist), Md. Azharuddin (Indian Cricket team captain) and Amir Khan (Bollywood actor)  etc. all belong to only one category and that is inciting communal hatred. All of the mentioned ones felt insecure in democratic and secular country, India after having made it good using her resources and public patronage. Md. Azharuddin when accused of match fixing made a statement that he was being targeted because he was a Muslim! He forgot that at the time of his becoming captain of Indian Cricket team he was not a non Muslim. Mr. Javed Akhtar standing by the side of Ms. Mamta Banerjee stated that there was atmosphere of fear in the country; Amir Khan claimed his wife ( A Hindu) lived perpetually under fear and wasn’t sure whether they should continue to live in India; Hamid Ansari just after completing his term as the Vice President spoke disparagingly about India and her institutions from a Muslim Organization’s platform! The list is long enough, but the point being made is that the likes of you excel in inciting communal passions while living comfortable and extravagant lives.

Mr Owaisi, there are lacs and lacs of Muslims, Hindus and others who sweat it out together for their livelihoods. They are asset of Indian Nation and not parasites; they never went to schools, colleges, universities to get certificates of being educated and yet without any knowledge, but learnt and honed their skills the hard way from their elders in the society; they are car and motor vehicle mechanics, bicycle mechanics, electricians, plumbers, masons, small time business people, roadside vendors, taxi and auto drivers, painters, handloom workers, embroidery workmen, craftsmen, iron works, carpet weavers, etcetera. They contribute to the GDP of their country, India without any grudges or complaints. They identify themselves with the soil of their Motherland, India. They are not burden on the State ex chequer and do not seek jobs and on the contrary through their small sized entrepreneurship employ others in some members, because they are creative minds. They are respectable people from whom the “educated” unemployed need to learn a few things. That’s how they have made their presence felt in our country and they don’t need politicians like you who claim to protect their interests but in fact only grind their political axe.

Therefore Mr. Owaisi and the likes of you – Mamtas Kejris et al – don’t play dirty religion based politics to dehumanize the inter relationship of these “uneducated”, but self employed class of ordinary citizens that embraces people of all religions. Mr. Owaisi do not try to disrupt the cohesiveness, built on professionalism, among this strata of the populace for your dirty political aims.