Who Controls Mosques in India?

IT IS a known fact that the government agencies effectively control the activities of Mosques across the country through various "elected" bodies existing for looking after the Mosque affairs. Information is being passed on to the concerned personnel for a "necessary action" and the action taken a report reaches the concerned authorities. Harassing the Muslims inside the Mosque takes place by the people in charge of Mosques, including the security unnoticed by the general masses who offer prayers. This is therefore the Babri Mosque was never raised in Indian Mosques on the eve of the December 06, in stead some other issues were touched upon in the sermons.

Any action initiated by the state for the benefits of the people is most welcome, but India has nurtured ill-feelings toward Muslims right from 15 August 1947 and its interference with Mosques cannot but do further injustice to Muslims. The situation in Kashmir-Jammu is extremely explosive. Security personnel in their ambition to display their own power on innocent Muslims, makes a hell out of those coming to pray or for siyasat (politics). Who should not enter and pray is generally decided by the state agencies and the "concerned" people stop them from doing so, directly or quasi-mode.

Kashmir freedom leader and Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and S A S Geelani was barred from addressing the Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid in Jammu of JK. Geelani, who arrived in Jammu two days ahead of Friday, had gone to offer prayers at the main mosque in the walled city in the Muslim majority area of Talab Khatijkan on Friday afternoon. Before prayers started, he, as usual, rose to speak but was reprimanded by the Imam (priest) of the mosque, reportedly under the government instruction. After the prayers, Geelani told reporters that the attitude of the Imam in denying him the right to speak on the religious matters was under the 'dictates of the government’. He said, 'The government was trying to take control of mosques and curbing the rights of the people to express themselves on religious matters.'

In fact governments in India have taken it as their legitimate right to interfere in religious affairs of Mosques by using their networking. Believers have very little or no knowledge of such nefarious affairs affecting the spiritual life of Muslims. On their own part, Indian Muslims themselves have become immunized to adultery of their religion, owing to longtime strategies of the governments to keep Islam under their full control. Muslims only are eager play into their dirty hands. On the name of socialization and national integrity Muslims in India have been successfully Hinduized, quite systematically, though not fully converted into Hindus, while at the same time harassing them and denying them their legitimate dues. Most Muslims in government and other private jobs, under the pressure of "terrorism" strategy of the governments, try to adjust themselves with the ethos of Hinduism and display themselves as being Hindus.

So much so, Muslims in political parties including Muslim League, and other sympathizers, consider getting a free trip to Saudi Arabia for performing holy Hajj than defending the Babri Mosque and they repeat the government argument that Mosque does not exist now and they should forget about it all together and think of their own future in Hindu India. Like other community leaders, Muslim leaders seek favors like jobs for their own tribes and relatives and for those who can make sumptuous bribes in advance. These Muslims feel gratified that they are included in committees and delegations. The League leaders currently enjoying the fruits of Foreign ministry by touring and making plenty of fortunes .No wonder, under these circumstance, Muslims prefer privileges from the government agencies than to rub shoulders with them and earn their wrath. League people are being misused by the governments to divert the attention of Muslims from the cause of Babri Mosque and these people influence the Mosques in a conspiratorial manner.

One does know if government of India and Kashmir government considers Jammu being outside the borders of the forthcoming Kashmir republic. But right now Jammu is very much part of JK and stopping a Kashmiri from addressing the Muslims in a Mosque in Jammu is shocking. But as the Kashmiris are divided and there is no unified voice for their independence and Indian government has very wisely used its politicians and, bureaucracy and military to keep them split and fight each other spoiling their independence struggle. As such Indians by and large think India would keep Kashmir within itself by all means. They argue that Iraq and Afghanistan are under US control, many nations are under China's control while Chechnya and other nations have been made to fall in line in Russia, where the majority of Russians just hate Chechen Muslims.

Of course anything done by the state for the well-being of Islam, the Muslims and their benefits is a different matter altogether. But in India, drinking hatred for Muslims although cannot be expected to do any thing good for them because their only concern is the Majority Hindus. “Terrorism” plank perpetrated by the USA and India does not permit any good thoughts about Islam and Muslims. It is the foremost duty of every Kashmiri to talk about their independence, as Indians did during the “British Raj” in India.

Geelani is constantly harassed by keeping him house arrest (already 72 times) and other restrictions because he, unlike pro-Indian leaders in Kashmir fueled and “oiled” by New Delhi, sincerely seeks independence for Kashmir. Until Kashmiris achieve their sweet freedom from big India, Geelani and others have every right to address people any where in India, including the Jammu Muslims.

(Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal, based in Delhi, is a freelance writer & columnist)