Mangalore, Oct 31: Several Sunni Muslim organisations from Dakshina Kannada came together to hold a joint stir against the intervention of the Karnataka State Wakf Board which issued a notice against performing Jum'a prayers at Mohiuddin Jumma Masjid located in Melangadi, Ullal.
A few hundred Muslims participated in the demonstration organised by D K District United Muslim Organisation (a union of various Sunni Muslim groups) in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Thursday, where a collective criticism was also voiced against state minister U T Khader's biased attitude towards the issue at hand.
Speaking on the occasion, Mudigere Khazi Syed Zainul Abideen Thangal said that apart from protecting the rights of Muslim groups, the Wakf board had no right to issue a ban on Jumma prayers in any masjid. He said that the three decisions taken by the protest meeting including revocation of the interim order issued by Karnataka State Wakf Board have to be implemented. The persons behind the order such as president of the Wakf Board Riyaz Khan and member Shafi Sa'adi should be immediately dismissed. The administration and decisions of the masjid and madrasas of a particular region should be left to the respective masjid committee and Jamaat, he stressed.
Addressing the demonstrators, convenor of the demonstration K Ashraf echoed the sentiments of Mudigere Khazi and said that the Wakf board had no right to interfere in matters of offering Jumma prayers at Mohiuddin Jumma Masjid.
“Those who have issued the fatwa against Mohiuddin Jumma Masjid are neither administrators nor decision-makers, and hence have no right to issue such an order which goes against the Islamic Shariah law. Only religious heads such as Khazis, Aleems have the right to make decisions over such issues, he said, alleging that political leaders U T Khader, Moidin Bava and former Minister C M Ibrahim were misusing the Wakf Board to suit their own purposes.
He said that the stir was the first stage of protesting against the'fatwa' issued by the Wakf Board, which if not withdrawn, they would intensify the protests.
It can be recalled here that a clash had broken out between two factions of Sunni community few days ago over offering Friday Jumma prayers for the first time at Mohiuddin Jumma Masjid in Melangadi.
The dispute which had arisen between members and followers of Ullal Dargah committee and Mohiuddin Masjid committee grew intense, as a result of which, few individuals also sustained injuries.
Later, the Karnataka State Wakf Board issued a notice urging Muslims not to offer Jumma prayers at Mohiuddin Masjid after a meeting with Ullal Dargah committee members, in which state minister U T Khader and MLA Moidin Bava had participated.
The notice issued by the Wakf Board declared that offering Jumma prayers at the said masjid was'haraam', which was condemned by the Muslim organisations who participated in the stir.
Chairman of the organisation K S Ismail Kalladka, SKSSF member Jabbar Musliyar, former chairman of Mohiuddin Jumma Masjid Farooq Ullal, present chairman Mustafa Ullal and others spoke on the occasion.
Several religious scholars and leaders from the community also participated in the stir.
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