1. Senior RSS leader asks Muslims to break Ramzan by drinking cow milk

Even before the month of Ramzan had begun, a speech by senior Rashtriya Swayam Sangh functionary Indresh Kumar asking Muslims to break their fasts with cow milk was made. As per a report of The Print, on March 8, Kumar was speaking at an event organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an RSS-affiliated organisation, of which he has been a patron for over two decades. The event was organised for the launch of a new book by the organisation called Bharatiya Mussalman: Ekta ka Aadhar (Indian Muslim: the basis of unity). In addition to asking Muslims to drink cow milk, he also urged them to take a pledge to not eat cow meat.

As per the report, Kumar had also asserted upon the common ancestry that Hindus and Muslims share by stating “We can change our religion, a Shyam may become Shahabuddin, but his ancestors remain the same as we have the same ancestors.”

Kumar also asked his majorly Muslim audience to repeat slogans in several languages declaring one’s love for their motherland- Madar-e-Watan in Persian, Bharat Mata ki Jai in Hindi, Vande Mataram in Sanskrit, Ek Hind, Jai Hind in Hindustani, and Love and Salute to Mother India in English.

2. Students offering Ramzan prayers attacked:

On March 18, a group of people stormed the Gujarat University hostel in Ahmedabad late in the evening and attacked international Muslim students who were offering namaz inside the premises, injuring five people during the melee. The said incident had attracted criticism from many for the increasing intolerance and pervasive anti-Muslim environment. It is essential to note that at least five international students were injured in the said assault. As per multiple media reports, the injured students, who were from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, were admitted to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Hospital.

In the next two days following the incident, the Gujarat Police arrested five persons in connection with the mob attack. Out of these, three people – 22-year-old Kshitij Kamlesh Pandey, 31-year-old Jitendra Ghanshyam Patel and 21-year-old Sahil Arunbhai Dudhtiuva – were arrested on Monday, while two others, Hitesh Rakhubhai Mewada and Bharat Damodarbhai Patel, had been arrested on Sunday. The police had booked the accused persons under sections 143, 144, (unlawful assembly), 147, 148,149, (rioting, with deadly weapons, offence committed by members of unlawful assembly), 323, 324 (voluntarily causing hurt, by dangerous weapons), 337 (causing hurt by rash or negligent act), 447 (criminal trespass) of the Indian Penal Code.

While the incident was condemnable itself, the action taken by the authorities in pursuance to the incident was shocking as well. Days after the incident, Gujarat University issued guidelines to international students living in university accommodation and barred them from engaging in “religious activity” in common areas. Multiple media reports provided that a university official had also suggested the incident partly stemmed from a lack of “cultural assimilation” on the part of the foreign students. On April 8, a report of The Wire stated that weeks after the attack on the foreign students for offering namaz on the premises took place, six students from Afghanistan and one from East Africa had been asked to vacate the Gujarat University’s hostel rooms for alleged overstaying.

While there was a wave of criticism in response to the aforementioned incident, some far-right supporters also justified the aforementioned attack by stating that the “act of offering namaz in public hurt the sentiments of Hindus.” Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Dharmendra Bhavani said the same while delivering the hate speech, while also adding that the victims wrote in Urdu. According to Bhavani, the “cadre went to give the International Muslim students a befitting reply through the mob attack, just like the Hindu mob had done during Gujarat riots in 2002.”

The said speech can be accessed here:

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (#VHP) leader #DharmendraBhavani justified the attack on foreign students at #GujaratUniversity. He said namaz at hostel hurt sentiments of #Hindus and accused them of writing in #Urdu. So, their cadre went to give them a reply. He said it was a reaction to… pic.twitter.com/QNHpGPCtu6

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) March 17, 2024

3. Harassment of Muslim man by forcibly putting colour on his face

This incident was reported from Thane, Maharashtra as the festival of Holi was being celebrated on March 25. As per a report in the Siasat, a young Muslim auto rickshaw driver who was fasting claimed that a group of people celebrating Holi forcibly made him break his fast as they threw colours and water on his him. According to the report, the driver, Khan Mohammed Kadir, had picked up a female passenger from Kalwa and was on his way to Kharegaon. As they were passing the said area, four to five unidentified men stopped his auto and forcibly applied colours on me. Kadir also stated that “Although I pleaded with them that I was fasting, they did not listen.”

Kadir lodged a complaint at the Kalwa police station. Furthermore, as per the complaint, the group also broke windshield of Kadir’s auto.

The post can be accessed here:

At least five unidentified men were booked for allegedly harassing a #Muslim youth and forcibly putting colours on his face in a nearby locality of #Maharashtra’s #Thane on Monday. The victim, identified as Mohammad Kadir, said he had to break his #Ramzan fast due to the act.… pic.twitter.com/uE5I4wuQwN

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) March 26, 2024

4. More incidents of attack on Muslims after evening prayers:

Assault:

On March 31, an incident of assault of minor was report by Hate Detectors on ‘X’. As per the post, a Muslim kid aged 12 was attacked after Taraweeh prayers in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. As per the information provided, the kid had gone for a walk on the Dudheshwar riverfront while wearing a skull cap when the attack on the boy took place. It has been alleged that the perpetrators beat up the child and then fled from the scene. The minor victim had been brought to SVP Hospital pursuant to the attack. A video showing an ambulance coming to the scene of incident has been uploaded on social media.

The video can be accessed here:

This is from #Ahmedabad, #Gujarat.

After Taraweeh prayers, innocent Muslim kid Sufiyan (12) went for a walk on the #Dudheshwar riverfront wearing a skull cap when some extremist attacked the boy, beat him and fled.

The victim Sufiyan has been brought to SVP Hospital. pic.twitter.com/NSyZVGa2Aa

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) March 31, 2024

Lynching:
On April 2, a disturbing news emerged from Bahraich area of Uttar Pradesh where a Muslim man named Wakil Ahmed, aged 35, was going killed by a group of unknown people on his way to his home after Tarawih prayer. As per a report in the Siasat, Ahmed was reportedly beaten to death by unidentified persons at around 11 pm in the night.

Videos post the incident were circulated on social media platforms, where the deceased’s naked body is seen lying on the ground with extensive wounds. The said incident led to a big uproar amongst the residents. The video can be viewed here:

Uttar Pradesh: Bahraich,

In the month of #Ramadan Muslim Man Wakil Ahmed (35) was going to his Home at 11 PM after #Tarawih prayer ls when Unknown People killed him by beating him on the way.

Mr Wakil was only earning member in family.#Islamophobia

https://t.co/gnonT7xQkT

— Crime Reports India (@AsianDigest) April 2, 2024

As per the report, Bahraich police officials had launched an investigation into the heinous killing. The police informed the media that the deceased ran a shop and went home late in the evening after closing his shop. According to a senior police official, the body had been sent for post-mortem examination. “We have sent the body for autopsy and a probe has been launched to nab all culprits involved in the heinous crime. Further investigation is underway,” said the police officer. There have been no further updates in this incident.

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The post Targeting Muslims in Ramzan: Lynching, assault, harassment mar the holy month in India appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Few knew that the Delhi Jal Board had granted “short leave” of two hours a day to its Muslim employees during the month of Ramzan, till it publicly withdrew it on Tuesday. When it was offered the two hour leave was granted on the condition that the employees must complete their designated work on time.

Delhi Jal Board withdraws its circular dated 5th April 2022 for short leave to all its Muslim Employees during the days of Ramzan issued earlier. pic.twitter.com/7l3rDvkGOs

— Delhi Jal Board (@DelhiJalBoard) April 5, 2022

The board, which comes under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) run Delhi Government has not yet given any reason for the withdrawal. However it has come under severe criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the right wing ecosystem. Some right-wing aligned Twitter users asked if the DJB gave “leave to Hindus fasting for Navratri”, even though the nature of the two fasts is very different.

The BJP has accused the water supply body “of appeasement politics”. Now the Delhi Jal Board has made it official that the easter circular has been “withdrawn with immediate effect.” Leading the criticism of the circular was Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi spokesperson Vinit Goenka. 

Appeasement politics by @DelhiJalBoard ?? pic.twitter.com/RtHhj9Kl3w

— Vinit Goenka (@vinitgoenka) April 5, 2022

The Delhi unit BJP’s Adesh Gupta, attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying, “He is giving a 25% discount on liquor and has opened thousands of liquor shops during the period of Navratri.” Gupta alleged that Kejriwal, was “giving two hours” leave to Delhi Jal Board employees for namaz during Ramzan and accused him of “appeasement”.

ये है @ArvindKejriwal का असली चेहरा,

एक ओर नवरात्रों के दिन दिल्ली में हजारों ठेके खोल कर शराब पर 25% छूट देकर नशा बांट रहे हैं।

दूसरी ओर दिल्ली जलबोर्ड के कर्मचारियों को रमजान में नमाज पढ़ने के लिए काम के समय में से 2 घंटे की छुट्टी दे रहे हैं।

ये तुष्टिकरण नही है तो क्या है?

— Adesh Gupta (@adeshguptabjp) April 5, 2022

His criticism here was of the Delhi government allowing private liquor stores to give discounts up to 25%. This came after the government had told shops to discontinue the discount on liquor on February 28, reportedly because “it was causing law and order problems due to overcrowding and unhealthy market practices.” According to news reports, on Monday, South Delhi Mayor Mukkesh Suryaan had said that he wrote to Kejriwal, asking that “discounts on alcohol during Navratri” be stopped as should the sale.

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The post Delhi Jal Board withdraws ‘two hours’ leave to Muslim employees during Ramzan appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A 28-year-old health worker who has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently undergoing treatment at a Covid-19 dedicated care centre at Ali Jauhar University in Rampur district, Uttar Pradesh, was booked for alleging lack of food at the centre and spreading rumours by uploading a video on social media, reported The Indian Express.

The health worker, who later allegedly backtracked on his allegations, was employed on a contract basis as a ward boy and came in contact with the virus while serving at a district hospital where corona positive patients were kept, a government official said. Police said he was admitted to the university Covid-19 centre two days ago and as a precautionary measure, his family members, including his parents, have now been quarantined.

A complaint by Rampur District Hospital’s Chief Medical Superintendent Dr. Rakesh Mittal has been filed in the matter and a case against the health worker has been booked under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC at Azeem Nagar police station. The police also invoked the Epidemic Disease Act and Information Technology Act.

Dr. Rakesh Mittal said that last week, the health worker was found positive and sent to isolation. According to Mittal, in a video that went viral in which the ward boy is purportedly heard saying that he isn’t fasting for Ramzan because iftar (meal eaten after sunset) and sehri (meal eaten before sunrise) are not provided in the hospital. He is purportedly heard saying that coronavirus fears created by media are false. But inexplicably, in another video released the next day, he is seen apologising for “allegations”.

Anjaneya Kumar Singh, Rampur District Magistrate, said that the action was taken because of irresponsible remarks about coronavirus and a false statement that he was not observing roza due to lack of food. The ward boy had initially hidden the fact that he was living with his parents, said Singh.

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The post Health worker booked for alleging lack of food at Covid treatment facility appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Prime Minister may have wished the nation as Ramadan began, and again spoke to the Muslims of India in his latest Mann Ki Baat, and also ‘assured’ the world that everyone in India was united in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Gujarat government may have missed seeing the PM’s messages. Once again, they have decided to announce that no public gatherings or loudspeakers will be allowed in the state for religious events.

Why was this needed now, one may ask, when the nation has been under lockdown for over a month, and all religious and public gatherings have been already banned? According to Express news service, the order, issued by the state’s Home Department, says that it has been issued for the strict implementation of lockdown during all upcoming religious festivals because “to control the impact of Covid-19, social distancing is very necessary”.

Does the Gujarat government want to say that social distancing, as well as other measures have been failing in the state for the past month? Or is its order on Monday stating that strict implementation of Disaster Management Act invoked to deal with the Covid19 pandemic a reminder for the Muslim community as the month of Ramzaan has begun and under normal circumstances the markets are all abuzz in the evenings. Muslim clerics and scholars across the country have already asked people to stay home and pray, and no congregations are being allowed. Recent  celebrations including various harvest festivals, Easter, lunar new years have all been in private homes, and this fresh order of an Act that is already in place across the nation could be seen as an unusual overreach. Much like the attempt by two Delhi Police officials who personally went to tell a muezzin in a Muslim neighbourhood that he could not broadcast the Azaan or the call to prayer. The Delhi cops had claimed that it was the Lt Governor who had ordered a ban on Azaan itself. That of course turned out to be an over reach and Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, had to post a clarification on social media.

Of course the Gujarat govt order does prohibit any public gathering for all religious activities including  as puja or bandgi and has banned the use of loudspeakers. Azaan is usually broadcast  over loudspeakers, especially during Ramadan so that the devout can break their fast when they hear the call to prayer in the evening. The timing varies slightly each day. 

According to the news report while religious activities can continue privately or individually, the order stated that people cannot assemble for “any reason, including having food or snacks, after performing a religious activity privately or individually.” 

Under normal circumstances Ramadan is also the time to socialise and share iftaar, or the first meal after breaking the fast with family, friends, and neighbours. Markets and food stalls are usually a must visit for both mUslims and non muslims during the festive evenings. The Ramzan month culminates in Eid, which like any other festival is usually one of community celebrations. However, this year, the call has already been given to keep Eid celebrations simple and private and within family homes. It is not yet known if the national lockdown will be lifted by the time the Eid moon is sighted.

Gujarat government, however, has perhaps repeated its appeal “to the religious and community leaders to create awareness and ensure that people do not assemble for religious activities. “Violation of any prohibitory order issued by the Central government under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, will be subject to penal action under the legislation,” said the order as reported by ENS.

Meanwhile a report in the Deccan Chronicle, showcases how the head priests of Kedarnath, Badrinath “brave lockdown to keep traditions alive”. According to the DC report, the doors of Kedarnath will open on April 29,  and Badrinath will open on May 15. The two are one of the most holy, and most remote pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand. 

The DC tells the story of the Rawal or head priest of the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath, Bheema Shanker Ling who hails from Nanded, and  the head priest of Badrinath dham, Ishwar Prasad Namboodiri of Kerala, who due to the ban on all flights under Covid-19 lockdown, have had to travel by road to reach the shrines and perform their duties. The two are said to have travelled 1,800 km and 2,800 km by road “to ensure that traditions are kept alive” even though the tradition of the holy Char Dham yatra stands suspended during the lockdown. “Though the yatra is suspended, the portals of Kedarnath will open as scheduled at 6.10 am on April 29. After taking necessary permissions, I started from Nanded in a car on April 17 and reached Ukhimath on April 19,” Shanker Ling is quoted by Deccan Chronicle. According to the report the priest had been quarantined and tested for coronavirus, as soon as he arrived in Uttarakhand. “I have tested negative but I’m still in quarantine,” he told DC and added that the Uttarakhand government has allowed “16 people which includes priests and cooks, who will stay in Kedarnath until it closes by October end or first week of November, to travel.”

“Being in quarantine, I might not go and will authorise another priest. I will make it to Kedarnath immediately after the quarantine period comes to an end on May 2,” said Shanker Ling, who originally belongs to Karnataka. He has been the head priest for 20 years. His only regret is that every year, the doli or procession is taken by road till Kedarnath and thousands of people turn up to witness the occasion. This year, it is being taken in a vehicle to avoid crowds, reports DC. 

It is not clear if the Uttarakhand government has made fresh public announcements reminding people that gathering and crowds are prohibited in the state even though the two shrines will open their doors.

Similar is the case with Ishwar Prasad Namboodri. “After his arrival in Rishikesh on April 21, he has been in quarantine. The portals of Badrinath will open on May 15 and he will reach there by then. He too has tested negative,” said Mohan Prasad Thapliyal, former president of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple committee. He informed that since the head priests for the remaining two dhams — Gangotri and Yamunotri — are locals and there was no problem on that front.

According to the DC report, in  2019, a record 11 lakh people visited the shrines. This will be the first time that ‘yatra’ has been suspended due to the pandemic and it is believed that the footfall this year could be the lowest ever stated in the new report. It is yet to be seen if the lockdown is lifted and what kind of action plan is put in place by the government during the yatra period.

The lockdown has brought the country to a standstill, but divine intervention has made it easy for some to find a way out. Many incidents have been reported from across the country in April alone. Some of them can be read here.  

Related:

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How did two Delhi policemen decide to ban Azaan on their own

The post No public gatherings and loudspeakers for religious events: Guj Gov’t appeared first on SabrangIndia.

He may not be fasting even as a token gesture, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made sure he spares a few words of solidarity towards the Muslim community as Ramzan gets underway. Over this weekend, the PM has made sure to mention Ramzan, and ‘connect’ with the Muslim community twice already. Of course there has been no connection with those openly targeting Muslims across the country, blaming them for ‘spreading Coronavirus’, and using the Covid-19 lockdown as an excuse to carry out their hate speech, and discrimination.

Instead, the Prime Minister greeted the Muslim community in his Sunday radio talk ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and stated the obvious: “Ramzan this year is taking place while we are in the midst of the battle against Covid-19. Let’s take the right precautions today so that the coming Id-Ul-Fitr can be marked in the same way as it has been done earlier,” he said.

At first listen, it appears that the PM in his Mann Ki Baat, sounded hopeful that the Coronavirus pandemic, and/or the nationwide lockdown and the conditions emerging due to this situation will be under control in time for Eid next month.

His optimism comes as the same time as his ‘gentle reminder’ to the community that Ramzan is also a time for “patience, harmony, sensitivity” and most important, “service” toward others. “The holy month of Ramzan has begun. Last year when Ramzan was celebrated/ observed no one would have thought this Ramzan we will have to face such big troubles this time.” 

Ramzan this year is taking place while we are in the midst of the battle against COVID-19.

Let’s take the right precautions today so that the coming Id-Ul-Fitr can be marked in the same way as it has been done earlier. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/gVtIHKrkuv

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2020

“But now that the trouble has come” the PM said there was also an ‘opportunity’ that had revealed itself. He urged everyone to “observe this Ramzan with patience, harmony, sensitivity , empathy, service to others… this time let us pray/ devotion more than before. So that by the time Eid comes, we celebrate with as much enthusiasm as before.” 

The PM said that he had “faith” that those observing the Muslim holy Month will do so as guided by the local administration. “I have faith that this Ramzan while obeying the instructions of local administrations, we will strengthen this fight against Coronavirus. We need to follow physical distancing rules more than ever,” he said in his Mann Ki Baat  telecast.

It is important to repeat here that all religious places of worship, especially of Muslim, Sikh, and Christian communities have been shut for over a month now. No religious congregations are allowed and clerics have asked people to stay home and pray. Even as the Ramzan crescent moon was sighted, this message was repeated by Muslim community leaders, and clerics once again. 

According to news reports, clerics across the country, including the  Shahi Imams of Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi had appealed to Muslims to offer namaz during Ramzan from home, and strictly follow the lockdown guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Much before this eminent community leaders such as  Delhi Minorities Commission Chairman Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan had already written to the community to observe all the guidelines listed under the Coronavirus lockdown protocol.

The PM has noticed this and had a word of appreciation for them too, “today I also am grateful to those community leaders who have made people aware of keeping ‘two meter’ distance, staying at home…”  

As a ‘patriarch’ is wont to  sometimes compare siblings the PM reminded listeners that the Coronavirus pandemic had changed the way we celebrate community festivals. He counted the harvest festivals and community new years such as Bihu, Baisakhi, Vishu, Oriya New Year, and said that he saw how they were celebrated ‘simply, and at home,’ under the lockdown. “We saw how people stayed home and celebrated these festival…  other times they go out and celebrate joyously with friends and family.” 

A special mention was made of the Christian community celebrating, “Easter at home,” this year, he lauded those actions and said such, “responsibility towards society and country was important. That is how we will defeat the pandemic like corona”. 

This was the second time in three days that the PM had taken notice of the Muslim community. He had greeted the nation on Friday after the Ramzan moon was sighted and the beginning of the Muslim Holy month of fasting, prayer, and charity, had been officially announced across the country. 

Ramzan Mubarak! I pray for everyone’s safety, well-being and prosperity. May this Holy Month bring with it abundance of kindness, harmony and compassion. May we achieve a decisive victory in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and create a healthier planet.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 24, 2020

“Ramzan Mubarak! I pray for everyone’s safety, well-being and prosperity,” he tweeted.

The attention from the Prime Minister, towards the community which has been made the target of hate, in speeches and actions, across the country is the latest, and the most elaborate since April 19. When he himself had tweeted that “COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking. Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood.”

COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking.

Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood.

We are in this together: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 19, 2020

This message had come after scores of Arab influencers began calling out the way the Muslim community was being treated in india under the Coronavirus lockdown. The latest is a statement from Kuwait ministers as shared by news anchor, Ahmad Alwahidah, “ Kuwait concern about the ethnic attacks against Muslims in India and calls on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the international community to take the necessary measures to stop these attacks and to preserve the rights of Muslims and inject their blood.”

Kuwait concern about the ethnic attacks against Muslims in India and calls on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the international community to take the necessary measures to stop these attacks and to preserve the rights of Muslims and inject their blood.#india #Muslim pic.twitter.com/dUlYwIPB7J

— أحمد الوهيدة (@AHMAD_ALWAHIDAH) April 26, 2020

He and other Arab journalists, eminent personalities, Emirati royalty, including Princess of Oman, Mona bint Fahd al Said, have been active in keeping a record of, and sharing online, the many instances of discrimination against Muslims in India. That the world is watching how India is treating its minorities once again, the attention has been so intense from the Arab nations, that Indian diplomats had to warn Indians working there, from speaking ill against the Muslim community. News reports about discrimination against Muslims in India has gone viral globally.

While the threat of a diplomatic crisis has made the PM, and his ministers take notice, the voices closer home are yet to be heard. Even those from Delhi, where the PM resides. For example, issues raised by the Delhi Minorities Commission who have alerted authorities in the deteriorating situation in the quarantine camps where Muslim inmates are denied basic amenities even as they observe Ramzan. “Saturday was the first day of the fasting month of Ramzan but the inmates at Wazirabad kept fast on empty stomachs because pre-dawn food was not supplied. Then for breaking their fast at sunset yesterday, they were provided each with just two bananas and three dates while again no pre dawn meal was provided,” said the DMC in its latest letter to the authorities. Eventually the Jamiat Ulama stepped in and provided the people with predawn food or sehri.

Perhaps, this situation too may be discussed by the highest offices of the Indian administration once the Arab world takes notice.

The post Will the Ramzan edition of Prime Minister’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ help placate the seething Arabs? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In the run up to the holy month of Ramzan when Muslims all over the world fast from dawn to dusk, Indian Muslims are faced with a peculiar situation. Ramzan is all set to begin around April 25. Therefore, at least a part of the holy month and all associated rituals will have to be observed under lockdown conditions.

The Prime Minister had initially announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown starting March 25 to curb the spread of Covid-19. This lockdown was extended on April 14 to May 3. Therefore, various Islamic spiritual leaders and groups are urging the faithful to strictly observe all lockdown and social distancing protocols during Ramzan.

Jamia Nizamia, one of the oldest Islamic seminaries in India, has said in a press release, that all ulemas and muftis have urged their followers to observe Taraweeh (special night prayers) and Iftar (breaking the daily fast) at home. The release also said, “Further, the Ulemas and Muftis have appealed to the people to follow the instructions given by the government to observe the lockdown. They should also follow the advice of health and medical experts and observe preventive measures, especially social distancing, strictly.”

On Monday, the Islamic Centre of India had also issued an advisory asking Muslims to adhere to the lockdown rules during Ramzan. On Wednesday, Mufti of Varanasi, Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani also made a similar appeal while speaking to Sabrang India’s Editor-in-Chief, Teesta Setalvad. He said, “I appeal to everyone to respect all lockdown protocols and follow all related instructions and orders strictly. Please do not step out of your homes. Please conduct prayers and all religious ceremonies within your own homes. Please do not do anything that will help the virus spread. I urge you to exercise extreme caution.”

Last week on Thursday, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, held a video-conference meeting with various CEOs and chairpersons of state Waqf Boards, urging them to ensure compliance of lockdown guidelines and social distancing protocols by members of the Muslim community during the holy month of Ramzan.

Addressing the meeting Naqvi said, “In Islamic nations across the world religious congregations have been put on hold. Even at the holy mosque in Saudi Arabia, prayer services have been suspended in wake of the pandemic. There are over 7 lakh places of religious and cultural importance to Muslims such as mosques, eidgahs, imambadas and dargahs across India where they tend to congregate during the holy month. It is now incumbent upon various state Waqf Boards and religious bodies to generate awareness make sure namaz, iftar and other religious ceremonies are performed at home.”

“You are all responsible people who understand the sensitivity of the present circumstances. I trust you to do the right thing. I’m happy to see many of you have already started spreading necessary awareness,” he added.

Naqvi also tweeted saying, “Due to Corona pandemic, religious leaders & religious-social organizations from all regions of country, have appealed to people to perform all religious rituals staying inside their home during Ramadan.”

Due to Corona pandemic, religious leaders & religious-social organizations from all regions of country, have appealed to people to perform all religious rituals staying inside their home during Ramadan.@PMOIndia #IndiaFightsCorona @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/kBq3FzPuBq

— Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (@naqvimukhtar) April 16, 2020 

Meanwhile, the Minority Welfare, Waqf and Hajj Department of Karnataka has issued an order suspending congregational prayers and the practice of setting up food stalls on streets, both of which are a common sight during Ramzan, until May 3. They have also reportedly suspended weekly Jumma (Friday) prayers and Taraweeh, performed every day during the month of Ramzan. The order says, “Azaan shall be given at low decibel and Namaz (prayer) including Friday prayers to be performed by the Pesh Imams, Muazzans, and Masjid staff only. No public will be allowed to offer prayers in the mosque.”

This year, Ramzan is likely to begin on April 24 or 25 (confirmation awaited) and go on till about May 23. Since at least part of the holy month will take place during the lockdown, various central and state minority bodies are being urged to ensure that members of the community respect the lockdown measures.  

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Months after another Hindi standard textbook was found to have an offensive adjective with Jesus, (in the Std IX Hindi textbook he was referred to as a 'demon') the printer's devil has reportedly caught up with the Gujarat State School textbook Board, again. In a “printing error”, roza or fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan has been explained as “an infectious disease in which one suffers from diarrhoea and vomiting” in a Class IV Hindi textbook of the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB). This comes days after the GSSTB drew strong criticism over a derogatory reference to Jesus Christ in its Class IX Hindi textbook. Its at the end of Page number 13, at the end of Chapter three (a story 'Idgah' by Premchand) in the Class IV Hindi textbook.

The error factory that is the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB) has churned out yet another shocker, says the Times of India. The class IV Hindi (first-language) textbook prescribed for Hindi-medium students defines Roza as "Ek chaatak aur sankramak rog jisme dast aur kai aati hai" (an infectious disease that causes diarrhoea and vomiting). Roza is the fast Muslims keep in the holy month of Ramzan.

The error was spotted on page number 13 at the end of chapter three — a story ‘Idgah’ by Premchand — of the Class IV Hindi textbook for Hindi-medium students. The definition of the second word ‘roza’ in shabdarth (meaning) was given as “ek chaatak tatha sankramak rog jisme dast aur kaai ati hai (an infectious disease that leads to diarrhoea and vomiting)”.
When contacted by The Times of India and Indian Express, GSSTB chairman Nitin Pethani said, “This is a printing error. There should be haiza (cholera) in place of roza, but mistakenly both these words have been inter-changed.”While this textbook has been part of the curriculum since 2015, Pethani has claimed there was no such error in the earlier edition. He said the error cropped up in the print edition of 2017.

“We will issue a correction for Hindi-medium schools… Not more than 15,000 copies of this textbook were published due to limited number of Hindi-medium students,” said Pethani.While GSSTB officials denied having received an official complaint from any organisation or individual, Ahmedabad-based Right to Education (RTE) Forum, led by Mujahid Nafees, said the matter would be taken up with higher authorities. “The Forum has planned to submit a complaint to the GSSTB and the state government… errors regarding religions will not be accepted… action must be taken against those involved,” said Nafees. Nafees has been running an inclusive and vibrant programme on minority rights in Gujarat.

KHOJ, education for a plural India programme had conducted a joint study and workshop on the issue in Ahmedabad in 1999. Communalism Combat's  How Textbooks Teach Prejudice  researced by Teesta Setalvad is a collection of in-depth exposures and analyses on the question. For the students of Gujarati-medium government schools in state,  error-free textbooks remain a distant dream. Since 1999, and then again in 2014, when the Dinanath Batra text books were introduced. Few months back it was the gaffe, in the Std IX Hindi textbook which described Jesus Christ as demon. The blunder, which appears in a chapter on the ‘Teacher-student relationship in Indian culture context,' has put the state government in a quandary  as the new academic session is just round the corner. Now the Std IV textbook has derrogatory meanings described to the fasting during Ramzan.

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Although he weaves these two elements of his identity together in many ways, during Ramadan the borderline between them becomes palpable. For the 3,500 to 5,000 Puerto Rican Muslims like Juan, the holy month of fasting brings to the surface the tensions they feel in their daily life as minorities – Muslims among their Puerto Rican family and Puerto Ricans in the Muslim community.

So, who are the Puerto Rican Muslims and what are their struggles?

Since 2015, my broader research on Islam in Latin America and the Caribbean has taken me back and forth between Puerto Rico and cities in the U.S. where Puerto Rican Muslims live in large numbers (New York, New Jersey, Florida, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Philadelphia) in an effort to better understand the Puerto Rican Muslim story.

What I have found in my research is a deep history and a rich narrative that expands the understanding of what it means to be Muslim, and Puerto Rican, today.
 

The history of Muslims in Puerto Rico

Muslims first came to the island as part of the transatlantic colonial exchange between Spain and Portugal and the “New World.” There is evidence that the first Muslims arrived with the explorers in the 16th century. Many “Moriscos,” or Iberian Muslims, came to the Caribbean bypassing Spanish laws that prohibited them from coming to the Americas and serving as merchants, slaves and explorers.

Slaves from West Africa also came. Though these Muslim slave communities did not thrive, or even survive, Islam established itself in significant ways across the American hemisphere. It became the region’s “second monotheistic religion” – a result of the religious imagination and inventive ritualistic adaptation of Muslim slaves, former slaves and maroons – Africans who escaped slavery and founded independent settlements. These Muslims left their mark and contributed to the culture and history of the continents.

These slave communities, however, faded due to conversion to Catholicism or adoption of Afro-American religious practices. Today’s Muslim communities largely comprise recent immigrants from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria; some are descendants of late 19th- and 20th-century immigrants. Ethnically speaking, nearly two-thirds of Puerto Rico’s Muslim population is made up of Palestinian immigrants living in places like Caguas and San Juan who came fleeing political turmoil or to pursue business interests abroad.
 

Recent conversions

In recent years some Puerto Ricans have been reverting to the religion of their ancestors: Islam. How they wrestle with their identity as both Muslim and Puerto Rican is a key focus of my research.

Straddled between a predominately Arab Muslim population on the one hand and their avowedly Puerto Rican families, neighbors and coworkers who imagine Islam as something foreign to, rather than part of, Puerto Rico, converts struggle to marry the two identities they now claim. They are in search of a Boricua “Islamidad” – a unique Puerto Rican Muslim identity that resists complete assimilation to Arab cultural norms even as it reimagines and expands what it means to be Puerto Rican and a Muslim.
 

In each of Puerto Rico’s nine mosques, researchers have found an increasing number of recent local converts. There is no accurate measure, but anecdotal evidence suggests rising numbers.

One of them is Juan, whom I first met at an Eid al-Fitr – the festival of breaking the Ramadan fast – celebration at the San Juan Convention Center in 2015. The 40-something man of Dominican descent and Puerto Rican heritage said,
 

“I came to Islam by asking questions: about the ills of society, the difficulties of life.”
 

Juan found that Catholicism, the religion adopted by his ancestors when they converted, was too confusing, the doctrine of “tawhid” in Islam – the oneness of God – simpler than what he believed to be the complex theology of the Trinity. Furthermore, he felt that Islam called for a higher morality and sense of self-discipline. And so, he “reverted” – that is, returned to the faith of his birth and the heritage of his Iberian forebears in al-Andalus, in what is modern-day Spain.

But Juan, like many other converts, is also searching for a sense of authenticity in his new community. While Juan finds that his Muslim brothers and sisters appreciate him, he still feels marginalized because of his cultural background. He finds ways to express his “Boricua” (a term for resident Puerto Ricans, derived from the island’s indigenous name Borinquen) pride and his Muslim identity by sporting a “taqiyah” (a short, rounded skull cap) decorated with the Puerto Rican flag.

Another Puerto Rican convert from Aguadilla, Abu Livia, lives in this tension as well. He told me during an interview, “too often we hear people say you have to wear certain clothes, speak a certain language, look like an Arab, talk like an Arab, behave like an Arab.”

Not just Juan and Abu Livia, as I found in my research, but many other Puerto Rican Muslims are looking toward Andalusia, or Moorish Spain, to define who they are in a Puerto Rican society that claims a mixed background of indigenous, African and European influences.
 

Combining traditions

As such, Puerto Rican Muslims are finding ways of expressing their Muslim faith through symbols of Puerto Rican culture, whether it be their flag, their family traditions or their food.

Walking toward his home at the end of a long day of work, Juan looks forward to a quiet “iftar” – a meal to break the daily fast – with his family. It’s hot; beads of sweat have gathered like the faithful for prayer on his forehead; his legs are almost to the point of dragging up the small hill to his home; and the difficulties of Ramadan in a Caribbean climate weigh upon him. Even so, he smiles and gives praise to Allah.

As the sun sets and Juan prepares a light Puerto Rican meal of tostones – twice-fried plantains – his sincerity toward both his culture and his faith cannot be challenged.
 

“If anyone questions my religion,” said Juan, “they cannot question my ‘taqwa,’ my intention and fear of God.”

 

Ken Chitwood, Ph.D. Candidate, Religion in the Americas, Global Islam, University of Florida

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Lekshmi Narasimha Murthy Vishnu Temple in Malappuram held the Iftar party for Muslims breaking their fast in the holy month of Ramzan. The temple has been doing renovation works and has been conducting Punaprethishta (restoration) rituals from May 29, which will go on till July 4. 

The Iftar party was conducted as a part of these rituals. As many as 400 Muslim people participated in the function along with 100 people belonging to other communities.
Nearly 300 Muslim families also have funded the restoration of the temple. The temple is located at Vettichira, which is also Muslim dominated region.

“We have grown up in an atmosphere of religious harmony. What matters for us is humanity, not religion. Everybody has the right to follow their religion or caste, but it does not mean that we should not be friendly to people of other religion. We should not close our heart from welcoming people of other religion” Temple Committee Secretary PT Mohanan told the local Malayali media.

The Iftar party was held in the house of Mammu Master as the temple could not accommodate so many people.

The dishes were vegetarian including the traditional Kerala meal, sadhya. Muslim families in the area were informed in advance of the party and they turned up in large numbers “There was no hesitation from anybody’s part. The response was overwhelming,” Mohanan added.
 

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