‘Already exhausted with religious places’: Kerala HC denies permission for new masjid

News Network
August 26, 2022

kerrala.jpg

Kochi, Aug 26: The Kerala High Court on Friday denied permission to construct a mosque in a locality that has many mosques, observing that the state already has a large number of religious structures and their ratio to the population is very high.

Justice PV Kunhikrishnan opined that Kerala, that is termed as 'God's own country', is crammed full of religious places.

"Because of the peculiar geographical situation of Kerala, it is known as 'God's own country'. But we are exhausted with religious places and prayer halls and we are not in a position to allow any new religious places and prayer halls except in the rarest of rare cases," he said.

The court observed that even though mosques are important to the Muslim community, it is not necessary, as per the Holy Quran, that there be a mosque in every nook and cranny.

"The verses of the Holy Quran clearly highlight the importance of he mosque to the Muslim community. But it is not stated in the above verses of the Holy Quran that a mosque is necessary in every nook and corner.... It is not stated in the 'Hadis' or in the Holy Quran that mosque is to be situated adjacent to the house of every Muslim community member. Distance is not the criteria, but reaching the mosque is important," it said.

The court also referred to a study on religious structures, based on the 2011 Census, which it termed as "alarming" as it said that Kerala has 10 times the number of religious structures as villages and 3.5 times the number of hospitals.

"Kerala is exhausted with religious institutions and prayer halls... If every devotee ... Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Parsi, etc. starts to construct religious places and prayer halls near their residence, the state will face serious consequence including communal disharmony. In this case, the intelligence report and the police report says that if the present conversion of the commercial building to a religious prayer hall is allowed, there is chance for communal disharmony. It is a sensitive issue," it noted.

In the instant case, since 36 mosques were existing within the vicinity in question, the court held that there was no need of another mosque in that vicinity because the adherents of Islam can go to other nearby mosques, especially considering the fact that most citizens have access to some kind of vehicle or public transportation.

"It is true that Article 26(a) of the Constitution of India states that subject to the public order, morality and health, every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes. That does not mean that they can construct religious places in every nook and corner of the country. Kerala is a very small state," it said.

Justice Kunhikrishnan also referred to a movie song by acclaimed poet, late Vayalar Ramavarma which speaks of how man created religions, religion created God, and together they divided the world and humanity.

The verdict was given on a petition seeking to change a commercial building to a Muslim place of worship so as to enable Muslims in the vicinity to access a mosque to offer prayers.

The District Collector considered the request and denied it, based on reports of the district police chief who noted that there are about 36 mosques situated within 5 kilometre radius from the existing commercial building of the petitioner.

This prompted the petitioner to approach the High Court.

The court went through the 'The Manual of guidelines to prevent and control communal disturbance and to promote communal harmony' issued by the state, via a Government Order, and found that even for a change of occupancy, the permission from district authorities is necessary.

In the present case, the court found no reason to interfere with the decision of the state authorities and dismissed the petition.

It then asked to issue the following directions to the state government and police authorities, including, that the Kerala Chief Secretary and the state police chief shall issue necessary orders/circulars directing all the officers concerned to see that there is no illegal functioning of any religious places and prayer halls without obtaining permission from the competent authorities as per the Manual of Guidelines.

If any such religious place or prayer hall is functioning without necessary permission, they should take necessary steps to close down the same forthwith, it said.

Besides, the court said that it should be clearly mentioned that the distance to the nearest similar religious place/prayer hall is one of the criteria while considering the application for religious places and prayer halls and also directed the Chief Secretary to issue a separate circular/order prohibiting change of category of a building to a religious place/prayer hall, except in the rarest of rare case, and that also only after getting report from the police and intelligence, ascertaining the ground realities of that particular place.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 5,2025

trumppresident.jpg

Americans have taken to the streets in Washington, D.C., protesting President Donald Trump’s scheme to take "long-term ownership" of the Gaza Strip.

“Gaza Strip is not for sale,” the protesters shouted on the city’s streets on Wednesday.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump had claimed that the United States would oversee clearing up of destroyed buildings, removing of unexploded ordnance, and “resettling” of Palestinians elsewhere.

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it," he had purported.

‘Deploying American troops to Gaza’

Trump’s announcement came after the Israeli regime failed to realize its objective of forcing Gaza’s entire population to leave for neighboring Egypt, despite taking the coastal sliver under a war of genocide for over 15 months, during which the regime killed way upwards of 61,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Despite offering few details on how the scheme would be implemented, Trump suggested that displaced Palestinians could be sent to "other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts."

He also left open the possibility of deploying American troops in Gaza, stating, "If it’s necessary, we’ll do that."

‘New Riviera’

Trump predicted the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, could become “the Riviera” of the West Asia as he announced his plan to take control of it.

"The Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent," Trump said as he again voiced hopes that Palestinians could be removed from Gaza, and said the United States would redevelop the territory.

‘Recipe for chaos’

The so-called plan, which Trump described as a "long-term ownership position," was met with immediate condemnation from Palestinian groups.

The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas called it a "recipe for chaos and tension in the region" and vowed that "our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass."

The group’s denouncement came amid predictions that the proposal could escalate tensions in the region and spark new waves of resistance across the Palestinian territories and beyond.

Some regional states, including Saudi Arabia, likewise firmly rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians, citing the Palestinian nation’s demand for establishment of their own independent state.

Trump’s comments also drew criticism from various activists and experts. Omar Baddar, a political analyst, slammed the announcement, saying, "He’s essentially declaring the destruction of Palestinian society and the scattering of its people."

American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called out Trump for "openly calling for ethnic cleansing."

International law experts and human rights organizations have, meanwhile, raised concerns over the legality of Trump's proposal, warning that forced displacement and foreign occupation of Gaza would violate numerous international treaties and conventions.

"This plan disregards the rights of the Palestinian people and sets a dangerous precedent for unilateral land grabs," said Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a US-based civil rights organization.

Netanyahu, however, praised Trump as "the greatest friend Israel has ever had" and suggested that the scheme could "change history."

The ICC-wanted Israeli official’s trip to the US has already conjured up strong denouncement on the part of various regional and international organizations, figures, and groups over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Separately, Trump cast doubt on the stability of a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli regime and Hamas that is expected to end the genocide.

"The [Israeli] strikes could start tomorrow. There’s not a lot left to strike," he said amid Tel Aviv’s regular violations of the deal.

He also alleged that the “American-led plan” would lead to the war-wracked Palestinian territory’s “transformation.”

Critics, though, have argued that Trump's proposal could be intended to divert attention from ongoing controversies surrounding his administration, while US Senator Chris Murphy has called it a "reckless distraction from domestic issues."

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 2,2025

indianwomenchamps.jpg

Opener Gongadi Trisha scored 44 as India defeated South Africa by nine wickets in the final match of the Women's U19 T20 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Chasing only 83 runs, India did not face much difficulty as they lost just one wicket and went across the line in just 11.2 overs.

Earlier, contributions from the entire bowling unit helped India bundled out South Africa for 82 in 20 overs in the final of Women's U19 T20 World Cup on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur.

Asked to bowl first, India made immediate impact with back-to-back wickets. With this, India lifted their second consecutive U19 Women's World Cup title.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 28,2025

mansoormulki.jpg

Mangaluru, Jan 28: The cricketing community of Mulki on the outskirts of Mangaluru, is mourning the untimely demise of 41-year-old Mansoor Mulki, a cherished member of the 7-Star cricket team. On January 26, Mansoor tragically suffered a cardiac arrest while driving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, leaving his family, friends, and fans in shock.

Hailing from the Bappa Byari Doddamanai family, Mansoor was not just a skilled cricketer but also an active member of the Manish Youth Club. Known for his warm personality, he had a touching conversation with his mother over the phone just 15 minutes before the fatal incident, a memory that now resonates deeply with his grieving family.

His sudden passing has left a void in the lives of his mother, wife, and three daughters. Plans are in place for the funeral rites to be conducted in Saudi Arabia, where Mansoor had been working for the past 15 years.

Amid the sorrow, his employer, Siraj, a businessman from Hejamady, has taken on the responsibility of ensuring all arrangements for Mansoor’s family. Recently returning to Saudi Arabia from India, Siraj is facilitating travel and formalities for Mansoor’s mother, wife, daughters, and brother-in-law so they can bid their final goodbyes.

This tragedy has not only left a family in grief but also a community that cherished Mansoor as a friend, mentor, and cricketing icon.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.