Disturbing scene
Friday prayers in the Baitul Mukarram national mosque were disrupted due to a row over who would deliver the khutba or the sermonthe government-appointed new khatib (i.e.cleric delivering sermons) Mawlana Salahuddin or the Imam of the mosque and acting khatib Mawlana Nuruddin. Newspapers earlier reported that the government had appointed Mawlana Salahuddin as the khatib of the mosque. This had stirred up discomfort and anger among the activists of a political party who had long been using the mosque for their militant-type activities. In this context we can recall the mayhem that took place when they attacked their political opponents from inside the mosque just before the 2nd caretaker government took over on 1/11.
A television channel reported that Mawlana Salahuddin's followers had disrupted the Friday prayers. We ask: Why would they do that? He has been newly appointed by the government. He has no cause for such irrational behaviour. We know him as a profoundly learned Islamic scholar who had served in the Dhaka Government Alia Madrasa as its principal. The caretaker government had rightly appointed him as the national mosque's khatib.
The present Awami League government is talking about trying the war criminals, but what do you do with the zealots who are disrupting peace and desecrating the sanctity of mazaars (shrines of Muslim saints) and mosques by bombing and vilifying those?
We watched with much awe the displaying of shoes inside the national mosque. These were disturbing scenes. It is incumbent upon the government to put an end to these disputes being fuelled by a political party
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