On Monday, November 13, Delhi police warned the mosque Imams not to pray for the rights of Palestinians, and threatened to take action if they do so, according to a report published in Zee News.
The move comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine, which has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians in the last 33 days.
According to another similar report, the police intervened when prayers were being offered for Palestine in a mosque in Old Delhi and pressurized the Imam not mention Palestine.
Journalist Shams Tabrez Qasmi reported that the police also visited other mosques and issued similar notices.
“From the Muslim perspective, Palestine is very dear to us, and we essentially have our rights to pray peacefully for the Muslims there,” a mosque imam reportedly said.
The spokesperson of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Qasim Rasool Ilyas condemned the police actions saying that it violated the democratic rights of the Muslims.
Rasool said that the police have no right to prevent prayers, which are peaceful. He further called the Indian government’s stance on Palestine contradictory, as it voted against Israel in the United Nations but allows the police to suppress the solidarity of the Indian Muslims with Palestine.
India has long walked a tightrope between the warring sides, with historically close ties to both. While India strongly condemned the October 7 attack by the militant group Hamas and expressed solidarity with Israel, it urged that international humanitarian law be upheld in Gaza amid rising civilian deaths.
