MP/ Muslims Spurn Alternative Namaz Site Offered By Local Administration, Plan To Move Supreme Court

Bhopal: The Muslim community has registered opposition to the local administration’s proposal to allow them to offer Namaz at the ‘Chalis Peer’ complex, around two km from Bhojshala temple- Kamal Maula Mosque site in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, saying that the selection of the alternative site for the purpose is against the spirit of the interim order of the supreme court in this regard.

The minority community has threatened to move the supreme court to challenge the alternative Namaz site provided by the Dhar district administration.

“The alternative Namaz site identified by the district administration is against the spirit of the supreme court’s interim order in this regard. The supreme court has directed the state government to provide an alternative site to the Muslims near the Bhojshala temple- Kamal Maula Mosque complex to offer Namaz. However, the site selected by the local administration is around two km from Bhojshala complex. It is unjustified”, Abdul Samad, representative of the Muslim delegation, said.

He said that an alternative site should be given to the Muslims close to Bhojshala complex to offer Namaz, as per the supreme court directive.

The Muslim community will move the supreme court challenging the alternative Namaz site provided by the local administration, he said.

The local additional district magistrate (ADM) Rajiv Pandey said that the decision on the alternative Namaz site was taken keeping in view the law-and-order situation.

Earlier on Friday, the local district administration held discussions with a delegation of the Muslim community on the alternative Namaz site.

The local administration said that Namaz should be offered on every Friday between one pm to three pm at the Chalis Peer Complex, around two km from the Bhojshala temple complex till the supreme court disposes of the case.

The supreme court, in its interim order on July 14, directed the state government to provide an alternative Namaz site to the Muslims to offer Namaz.

The Madhya Pradesh high court had brought the decades old dispute over Bhojshala temple- Kamal Maula Mosque complex between Hindus and Muslims to an end in May this year by declaring that it is a site of Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati) temple and allowed the Hindus to perform pujas while denying Muslims to offer Namaz at the complex.

Prior to this, an arrangement had been made by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which protected the site under which Hindus are allowed to perform puja on every Tuesday, while Muslims are permitted to offer Namaz on every Friday.