Maulana Jobayer Ahmed, a former imam and madrasa teacher at Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester. Photo: Bnagla Press
Staff Correspondent: Maulana Jobayer Ahmed, a former imam and madrasa teacher at Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester, has left the US state of Connecticut after being insulted by the treasurer of the mosque committee. Tarek Ambia, treasurer of the Bayt ul Mamur Mosque Committee, was assaulted Imam Maulana Jobayer Ahmed on October 12 last year (2019) while performing his professional duties at the Madrasa. After a 10-and-a-half-month stay in Manchester, he left Connecticut for Michigan on August 28 with sorrow and suffering.
Imam and madrasa teacher Maulana Jobayer Ahmed was taking classes for the students of the madrasa as usual at Bayt ul Mamur Mosque on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 10 am. According to the rules of the madrasa, the students were supposed to come to class within the stipulated time, but the treasurer of the mosque committee, Tarek Ambia, brought his son about 10/15 minutes late. He kept knocking on the door. The class was going on inside so Imam Jobayer Ahmed could not understand the harsh words. Tarek Ambia became angry with the Imam for being late to open the door. He continued to abuse the Imam in vulgar language. When the Imam asked him to speak politely, he became more angry. At one point Tarek compares Imam to different animals. For this reason, Imam Jobayer Ahmed felt extremely humiliated. With pain in his mind, he returned to his home. From that day onwards he did not come to Bayt ul Mamur Mosque. Although everyone in the mosque committee knew about the incident, they tried to cover it up instead of resolving it. On the other hand, there is an attempt to settle the matter secretly with the Imam. But Imam Jobayer Ahmed clearly said that the accused person should go directly to him and apologize. According to the Imam’s terms, Treasurer Tarek Ambia visited the house of Imam Maulana Jobayer Ahmed in Manchester on Thursday night, October 17, 2019, during the Asr prayers in the mosque and apologized for the unwelcome insult. Several worshipers were also present at the time.
The next day, on Friday, October 18, 2019, Imam Jobayer returned to the mosque to offer Friday prayers. At the beginning of his sermon, he delivered a sermon on the pride of money and power and told the worshipers to declare jihad against injustice. The members of the mosque committee or the worshipers did not dare to open their mouths or protest in public in the incident of insulting the Imam. However, most of the worshipers publicly apologized for such heinous crimes and demanded the removal of Tarek Ambia from the post of treasurer of the mosque committee, but to no avail.
Asked about his views on the matter, Imam Maulana Jobayer Ahmed said, “Many people know about the incident.” I don’t want to talk about it anymore. If someone admits his mistake and asks for forgiveness, it is a great thing to forgive him. So I forgave him.
Tarek Ambia (left) treasurer of the Bayt ul Mamur Mosque was assaulted Imam Jobayer Ahmed (Right)
Founding members Harun Ahmed and Jahed Chowdhury Liton played an active role in the construction of the mosque about 12 years ago. In the basement of the Asian grocery store, he made a place of prayer for the worshipers. A few years ago, treasurer Tarek Ambia assaulted Harun Ahmed inside the mosque and kicked him out of the mosque. Tarek Ambia’s wife Sufia Ambia was assaulted Raunak Afrose, a former public relations secretary of BAAC and a cultural activist. Local worshipers, including Bangladeshis, were shocked by these isolated incidents. When the audit of the mosque was audited by an audit committee a few years ago, a large sum of money was not found. There are allegations that he was expelled from the mosque committee whenever anyone talked about the accounts of the mosque. Expatriate Bangladeshis, including Muslims, have demanded the immediate expulsion of Treasurer Tarek Ambia, subject to a proper investigation into the incidents, avoiding the dominance and regionalism of the mosque leadership.
Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester. Photo: Bnagla Press
On August 27, a group of worshipers met Maulana Jobayer Ahmed, the imam and madrasa teacher at the Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester, to hear that he was leaving Connecticut for Michigan. At this time, he expressed his grief and sorrow in the minds of the worshipers present. He expressed frustration that he might never come to Connecticut again. I have been in Manchester for so long because of the love of ordinary worshipers.
Note that after being insulted by the treasurer of the mosque committee, Imam Maulana Jobayer Ahmed left the teaching of Imamate and Madrasa and made a living by driving a taxi for 10 and a half months.
BP/SM
