India News | Citizens' Forum Launches Platform to Counter Campaign Against Friday Prayers in Gurgaon
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch (GNEM), a citizens' forum, on Tuesday launched a public awareness campaign to "counter hatred and fake news about Friday namaaz", the body said in a statement.
Gurgaon, Nov 2 (PTI) Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch (GNEM), a citizens' forum, on Tuesday launched a public awareness campaign to "counter hatred and fake news about Friday namaaz", the body said in a statement.
The campaign, which will run online and offline, will also include a platform for all those who disagree with the current campaign against the Friday prayers and "who stand for a united Gurgaon for harmony and progress".
"Gurgaon is a melting pot of people from all backgrounds who have come here to make a life and in doing so have made this city into one of the most cosmopolitan cities of India. Can we afford to tarnish the image of Gurgaon internationally and the question is what would be the impact of such hatred on the business and industrial future of Gurgaon?" GNEM said in the statement.
It added that the attempt to harm the peace, harmony and safety of the city has "serious implications for all Gurgaon residents and their future".
"The current campaign to prevent Friday namaaz from happening in open spaces is based on a series of false accusations that are far from truth. Insults and humiliation has been heaped on an entire community which is not only unfair but goes against the spirit of our country which is built on the solid edifice of equality and respect as guaranteed by the constitution," the forum said.
On October 29, around 30 people were detained by police for allegedly gathering to disrupt Friday prayers offered by Muslims in Sector 12 area here.
Amid a heavy police presence in the area, the protesters, mainly from various Hindu outfits, gathered and raised 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans even as the members of the Muslim community were arriving at the spot to offer prayers.
Three years ago, the district administration had designated 37 sites in the city for Muslims to offer Friday prayers, after which there were protests by some Hindu groups.
A few months ago, one group started protests against the prayers offered in the open after which there have been protests on Fridays during this month.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)