The imam of a mosque in Sonagazi, Feni, has been fired for assisting in the burial of a man with corona without the permission of the mosque management committee.
Imam Maulana Md Nur Ullah who lost his job was the Imam and Khatib of Boxali Bhuiyan Bari Jame Mosque in Ward 9 of Sonagazi Municipality. He had been the imam and khatib of the mosque for six years, but was exempted from Friday prayers on June 19.
Imam Maulana Nur Ullah said that Maulana Ziaul Haque, a resident of Sulakhali village in Matiganj union of the upazila, died on the afternoon of June 18 with corona symptoms. Maulana Nur Ullah also participated in the burial as a member of the shroud-burial team of the Islamic Foundation Sonagazi.
The mosque committee was furious and dismissed him from the post of Imam and Khatib on Friday. When he went to pray in the mosque, he was forcibly evicted.
The people of the mosque committee got excited and performed the Friday prayers with Hafez Rahmat Ullah. Since the mosque was established on waqf property, it has been run by a combination of committee and mutawallis.
Sakhawat Hossain Alaul, president of the mosque committee and local ward councilor, said “Maulana Noor Ullah had not been sacked. Mutawallis are responsible for dismissing the Imam. It is not the responsibility of our committee. But I saved him from public outrage by giving him leave.”
Mutawalli Alamgir Hossain of the mosque said, “I was not present in the mosque as I was physically ill. So everything about this is beyond my knowledge.”
Alamgir Hossain, Field Supervisor of Islamic Foundation Sonagazi, said, “Maulana Nur Ullah is a member of the burial committee of Islamic Foundation Sonagazi Upazila.
We have informed Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ajit Dev and Sonagazi Municipality Mayor Advocate Rafiqul Islam Khokon about not allowing him to enter the mosque. They said they would take action in this regard.”
Matiganj UP Chairman Rabiuzzaman Babu said, “It is really very sad. Currently family members are not often available. They are doing such work completely unpaid. They should be seen and heard without dismissal. They are the great warriors of the present time.”