This story is from May 31, 2016

Clash of Barelvis, Deobandis keeps devout out of masjid

Tension prevailed in Fatehpur following confrontation between Barelvis and Deobandis over offering of namaz at a masjid in Barabanki district, 35km from Lucknow.
Clash of Barelvis, Deobandis keeps devout out of masjid
Lucknow: Tension prevailed in Fatehpur following confrontation between Barelvis and Deobandis over offering of namaz at a masjid in Barabanki district, 35km from Lucknow. Additional police force had to be deployed in the area after the district administration stopped the two sides from entering the premises for namaz till further orders.
The incident gains significance in the light of the recent meeting between top clerics of the sects at the leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur where the two sides discussed ways to resolve such issues between the two sects.
Barelvis were represented by the top cleric of the sect Maulana Tauqeer Raza, while top ulemas of the seminary represented the Deobandi sect.
The point of discord in Barabanki is a small masjid situated adjacent to Khwaja Ghayasuddin Mazaar which has been under the control of the Barelvis for decades. "For the past two months, Deobandis have been claiming the premises were under their control and had even attacked us while we were holding a congregation on April 8," said Maulana Qamar Ghani Usman Qadri of the Barelvi sect.
After the April 8 incident, which led to arson, cross-FIR was lodged by the two sides against each other. But the situation took a turn for the worse last Friday when Deobandis allegedly started intervening in the affairs of the masjid and threatened its imam of dire consequences if he dared to hold the Juma (Friday) prayers. Barelvis are a minority in Fatehpur locality, while Barabanki district has strong presence of Barelvis among Muslims population.
"There are some persons who are trying to vitiate the atmosphere and create a problem by making an issue of our objection to the manner in which the masjid and the mazaar are being misused," said Maulana Habib Qasmi, the imam of Fatehpur Jama Masjid who hails from the Deobandi sect who is spearheading the tirade against the Barelvi management of the masjid.
The administration tried to resolve the issue and organised a meeting of the two sides on Sunday where both Barelvis and Deobandis agreed on a five-point charter to resolve the issue. But allegations are that Deobandi's went back on the agreement reached on Sunday and reportedly created ruckus on Monday as Barelvis gathered to offer the afternoon prayers. Police intervened and the masjid was locked. Barelvis, however, alleged that some local politicians were playing a catalyst in the crisis by influencing local authorities.
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