صراط عشق صراط عشق
A professor at a private college in Aligarh was sent on one month’s compulsory leave by authorities for performing ‘namaz’ in college lawns.
Right-wing organisations, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Yuva Morcha, protested against the professor and college.
A spokesman of the college told media that an inquiry has been ordered into the matter after some youth leaders belonging to the Bhartiya Janata Yuwa Morcha (BJYM) charged the teacher of indiscipline and trying to disturb peace by offering prayers at a public place.
A complaint in this connection was also filed at Kuwarsi police station.
Earlier, during the hijab controversy, many social media tweets and videos highlighted how non-Islamic religious activities are allowed in educational institutions. On February 17, SabrangIndia reported how women students chanted the Hanuman Chalisa everyday at Karkala’s Jaycees English Medium School (JEMS) in Karnataka. However, while the school maintained its secular attitude by including festivals and rituals of other religions, across India we see a reverse trend.
Already, such arguments have hindered the education of PU college students in Karnataka. Many Muslim girl students suffered during exam season in trying to exercise their basic rights.
Muslim women professors had also suffered similar treatment. Now the institutional discrimination crossed over with the azan controversy to target Muslim men.
A video emerged on social media a few days ago in which professor SK Khalid can be seen offering namaz in a garden inside the campus of Shri Varshney College. The video was brought to the notice of college authorities and a probe panel was set up.