I worked with the IT industry in Gurgaon or Gurugram for two long years.
I have seen in my office, the management or the HR offering free iftar during Ramadan and space for Jumma and Tarawih (special Ramadan namaz during the night) namaz within the office premise itself. Our (Hindu) managers would give us break during namaz and iftar willingly and lovingly. No (Hindu) body ever objected.
Due to the lack of space, my colleagues (migrants from different parts of India and the world) would often go for Tarawih in open spaces and parks.
While we performed namaz in the corner of a park or open space, our fellow (Hindu) citizens would arrange space for us. Senior (Hindu) citizens coming to the park for exercise would sit quietly and wait for us to finish. They would listen to the Quran recitation and look at the namazis curiously. In the park, men and women would do their own work. Nobody had ever shown any sign of objection or disturbance.
That was my India until 2014. After this, homo sapiens in India suddenly started to realise that some of them are Hindus, some of them are Muslims and some of them have other religions.
Today, as a concerned citizen I can say that all religious activities should be banned in public spaces. It is very easy to say. Every progressive and rational mind would say this. But the fact is that it will never be a reality in India. Religion shall continue to be the opium of the people.
Muslims offering namaz in Gurugram and in other open spaces in India never mean to disturb or harm anybody and the fact is that nobody has been disturbed or harmed till the BJP came to power. Lets us not deny this public reality.
While working in Gurgaon I have loved the city. Starting from Sohna, Badshapur to IFFCO Chowk Sector 22 to 44 and to the borders with Delhi, I have known most the places and its people. Wherever I turned, I saw a dreamy and nostalgic face, just like me. They were not Hindus, they were not Muslims. They were young dreamers who had left their homes for a good career. Those people never carried any hatred within them. They carried dreams, aspirations, hope, nostalgia – they carried tomorrow’s India.
Today, with the advent of a fascist and fundamentalist government, the syncretic root of Gurgaon is under threat. Muslim migrants from different parts of India will not usurp any unused land for their own purpose. Usurping a piece of land illegally is haram and a terrible sin for Muslims. So innocent and religious Muslims would not think of doing that. I have offered namaz in public spaces and in my office premise but I have not usurped any piece of land. Today I am not in Gurgaon. I have moved and started my career in academics. Like me, so many people will move. So many namazis will go back to their villages or towns. Maybe unused land will be used to build a tall tower or five-star hotel or maybe the land will still be used for Friday and Tarawih namaz. But people of Gurgaon will be there.
When I went for iftar or namaz during my shifts, my (Hindu) colleagues or managers did not object. When we prayed in the open spaces and parks, people did not object.
The incident in Sector 53 is very unfortunate. Certain coarse and rowdy men stopped innocent namazis using their Hindu identity. Their intention was not good. Their intention was to spread hatred in the name of Hinduness. I feel that it is a moment of existential crisis to the people of Gurgaon. Since the ruckus is created by so-called ‘Hindu’ organizations, Hindu citizens of Gurgaon should come forward and stop these unpleasant people from creating tension and hatred. People of Gurgaon should make sure that the poor migrant namazis are able to offer prayer in parks and open spaces where they have been praying for decades. I would have done so if I were a Hindu.
We are the descendants of Buddha, Mahavir, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Mira Bai, Nizamuddin, Khaja Moinuddin. Let not a political frenzy disturb our communal harmony. Else we shall be guilty in front of history.
P.S. It pains me to distinguish between Hindus and Muslims, but this issue required me to do it.