Hindu shopkeepers to shut shop on Friday (Jumma) by Muslim-majority town market committee

Case Summary
A viral video from Shaikhpara town in West Bengal's Murshidabad district showed an e-rickshaw broadcasting a pre-recorded message mandating the closure of all shops every Friday, except for those selling essentials like medicines, sweets, fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables. Tea and snack stalls were permitted to open after 5 pm. The diktat, issued by the Shaikhpara Bazar committee, raised concerns on social media about possible Islamic motivations and majoritarianism, given that Friday is Jumma Namaz day and the district has a 66.27% Muslim population according to the 2011 census. Critics stated that the rule compelled Hindu shopkeepers to comply, pointing to similar instances like Lakshadweep’s schools observing weekly holidays on Fridays to cater to the Muslim majority. However, SI Bidyut Sarkar of the Raninagar police station denied any communal angle, claiming that the decision was made by the bazaar committee.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the primary category 'Restriction/Ban on Hindu practices' under the sub-category 'Restriction on expression of Hindu identity'. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. In this case, the Bazaar committee in an area which has almost 67% Muslim population made the decision to ensure all shops, except those selling essentials, were shut on Fridays. In Islam, Friday holds special significance as the day chosen by the Islamic God – Allah – as a venerable day. The Jummah prayer, held every Friday by Muslims, is also supposed to hold special significance because it is held on a day that is believed by Muslims as the “chosen day by Allah”. In the four Sunans it is narrated in the hadith of Abu’l-Ja‘d ad-Dumari – who was a Companion – that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever misses three Jumu`ahs out of heedlessness, Allah will place a seal on his heart.” (Zad al-Ma‘ad, 1/384-385. ) In fact, Muslims believe that it is only Allah who can make choices for his ‘slaves’ (adherents of Islam) and therefore, he has chosen the day – Friday – as an exalted day when Muslims would receive blessings from him. Given the significance of Friday in Islam, asking Hindus to adhere to Islamic practices on Friday is essentially disenfranchising them from the expression of their professed faith and forcing them to adhere to Islam – or Allah’s will, according to Muslims. Since Hindus in the Muslim majority area were being forced to comply with Islamic diktats and practices, this case is being added as one where Hindus were being restricted from expressing their Hindu identity.

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown