‘Naturally scared’: India’s Muslims denied public spaces for Eid prayers
Key takeaways
- From being asked to pray ‘in shifts’ to ban on spillage of mosque congregations onto streets – Muslims are denied visible celebrations.
- The conversation is not about sacrificial animals or charity, but a more pressing issue before them: roads, barricades, police permissions, and where and how exactly they would offer the Eid prayers on Thursday.
- “Please don’t gather outside the mosque gates,” instructs a member. “If the mosque fills up, wait for the next prayer shift.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
From being asked to pray ‘in shifts’ to ban on spillage of mosque congregations onto streets – Muslims are denied visible celebrations.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Muslims offering Eid prayers at Wasiullah Mosque in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India [File: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP]By Sajid Raina and Tauseef Ahmad Published On 27 May 202627 May 2026Meerut, India – The mood is barely festive as a group of Muslim men huddle inside a small mosque to discuss the arrangements for Eid al-Adha prayers in Meerut district of India’s Uttar Pradesh state.
Ceiling fans hum above to beat the brutal north Indian heat as nearly 50 worshippers listen to the members of the mosque management committee in Maliyana village, about 80km (50 miles) from New Delhi, the national capital.