‘Mancha 24’ convener forced out of Baitul Mukarram amid anti-Jamaat protests

Tensions flared at the national mosque, Baitul Mukarram, after Friday prayers as a group of worshippers staged a protest in support of Khatib Mufti Abdul Malek, alleging that Jamaat-e-Islami was seeking to remove him from his position.

During the demonstration, Fahim Faruqi, convener of the platform ‘Mancha 24’, was forced to leave the mosque premises amid hostility from worshippers.

Videos of the incident have since circulated on social media.

The protest centred on several issues surrounding the appointment of the mosque’s khatib. Worshippers gathered near the mosque’s north gate and chanted slogans targeting Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Videos circulating online showed protesters directing slogans such as “Razakar” and “Shibir” at Faruqi. The crowd was also heard chanting, “Break and crush the den of Jamaat-Shibir” and “Break and crush the den of Mawdudi.”

Some protesters accused an unnamed organisation of conspiring against Mufti Abdul Malek and threatening the respected religious leader.

“We, the ordinary people, will firmly resist the Razakars,” one protester said, alleging that the group had threatened the khatib.

The demonstration underscores the tensions surrounding the appointment of the national mosque’s khatib, although the allegations against Jamaat-e-Islami were made by protesters and could not be independently verified from the information available.