
'We will not run, we are not cowards': AIMIM chief Assadudin Owaisi questions calls for Muslims to stay indoors during Holi
AIMIM chief Assadudin Owaisi on Friday criticized calls for Muslims to stay indoors or cover themselves during Holi, asserting the community's strength by saying, «We will not run, we are not cowards.»
«Some say if you're so scared, you should not offer namaz and stay indoors. They say just like we have covered our mosques, we must cover ourselves also, or else stay indoors,» Owaisi said while addressing a gathering at Chowk-e-Masjid in Telangana's Hyderabad.
His remarks were in response to statements by some officials advising Muslims to remain indoors if they did not want to be colored during Holi.
In Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary had on March 6 suggested that those uncomfortable with colours should stay inside, a comment later backed by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Several mosques in Uttar Pradesh were covered with tarpaulin on orders from the local administration to prevent any untoward incidents during Holi celebrations.
«Those who migrated to Pakistan were cowards. We will not run, we are not cowards. A Chief Minister said Jumma namaz can be offered at home as well… Who is he to tell us what we can and cannot do?» Owaisi added.
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This year, Holi coincided with the second Jumma namaz (Friday prayers) of Ramzan on March 14. Security forces conducted flag marches and set up checkpoints to ensure peaceful celebrations across several states.
In UP's Sambhal, Holi festivities and prayers were observed peacefully under tight security. Sambhal Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vandana Mishra praised the cooperation among communities, saying that peaceful celebrations «sent a strong message of harmony.»
District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia also spoke about the cooperation of