Riyadh, July 21: The arrest of Riyadh-based Indian muezzin soon after his arrival at Hyderabad Airport Saturday has raised many eye-brows.
The worshippers at a Hai Al-Wazarat Mosque where muezzin Shaukatullah Ghouri used to call the faithful to prayer five times a day were shocked after watching the Indian news channels that portrayed Ghouri as a member of Lashkar-e-Toiba wanted in some terrorist activities by Indian police.
No one was ready to believe that Ghouri, Hafizul Qur’an (memorizer of Qur’an), who has been serving at the mosque for the past two decades was a member of terrorist organization and involved in terrorist activities back home.
Ghouri is a professional muezzin and renowned for his good character, voice and skills of recitation of Qur’an and azan (prayer call) in soft sounding tone that moved many a hearts living in the district.
“We cannot believe the police and it seems Ghouri is being framed,” said one worshipper. “We have been reading media reports and watching news channels on how the police have been involved victimizing the innocent people, and strangely enough some were even killed in the fake encounters,” he added.
They said they knew Ghouri, who led Taraweeh prayer in Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.
“How can Ghouri be a terrorist, when he does not know any other way except to the mosque from his house, located just behind the mosque,” said another curiously-looking worshipper.
Imam of the Mosque said he would not believe the media reports and said even if the Indian police arrested Ghouri on suspicion, he (Ghouri) would come clean. “God willing, Ghouri will come clean because he is an innocent man,” the imam was trying to allay the concerns of the worshippers at the mosque.
Ghouri was equally popular among all nationalities of people that come for prayer at the mosque.
The Imam said he would do his best to support Ghouri in whatever paperwork he might require from Riyadh.
The worshippers were preparing to sign a petition for submission to the Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farooq seeking his intervention for the safe release of Ghouri, who went to Indian on an emergency leave for the treatment of his ailing wife.
The news of Ghouri’ arrest has also surprised many students of Madrasa that the latter run for Qur’an memorization at his house.
Ghouri was staying in Riyadh with family members that included his wife and four children – one daughter and three sons. All of them are Hafiz, (memorized the Qur’an).
Ghouri with a family of six members had always lived with austerity.
Ghouri’s neighbor told the Saudi Gazette that he was appointed by the Saudi imam of Masjid Ayaz Bin Ghazi Al-Harthi at a monthly packaged salary of around SR2,100, which for a six-member family was hardly enough for daily expenses.
“The muezzin sahib very often spoke about financial hardship, particularly when it came to payment of annual housing rent,” he said. However, he managed by running Qur’an memorization school which has an enrolment of around 20 students, he said.
It was also evident from the fact that Ghouri chose to fly with Oman Air that offered comparatively cheaper fares, he added.
The police should conduct a thorough investigation before taking any action, he said adding that we heard about several innocent arrests after the heinous crimes such as bombing of many places in India. “But those arrested were found innocent and the police released them after paying nominal compensation. However, this should not happen with the Ghouri sahib,” he said with concern.
Ghouri was arrested by the police soon after his arrival at the Hyderabad Airport.
The coverage of his arrest report in the local media both print and electronic spread like a wildfire and the people started talking in disbelieve.
“I had a shattered feeling after reading the report in one newspaper,” said one parent of a student after reading the news from one Urdu daily published from Hyderabad, a southern Indian city and capital of Andhra Pradesh.
A Bangladeshi grocery storekeeper received the news with a surprise. “I know the imam sahib very well for the past so many years. He used to buy things from my shop often,” he said.
The regular worshippers and other parents of students of Qur’an memorization hoped and pray for his safe return to Riyadh before the advent of holy month of Ramadan, tentatively on August 22, 2009.
He said the authorities have dropped other family members of Ghouri at their residence. However, Ghouri was taken to an unknown destination, he said quoting from the news report.
Courtesy: Saudi Gazette