Nazmul Ahsan Farook, one of the members of the Board of Trustee of Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester, Connecticut. Photo: Bangla Press
Staff Reporter: The Baitul Mamu Mosque in Manchester, Connecticut, USA has been taken hostage by the Bangladeshi Syndicate through various irregularities and unconstitutional activities. In order to protect the House of Allah Mosque from this organized clique, the worshipers have to unite and move. Otherwise, irregularities and unconstitutional activities will continue by the organized cycle from generation to generation. In this way, they will run the mosque. No one can be found to protest injustice. Nazmul Ahsan Farook, one of the members of the Board of Trustee, said this while talking about the current situation of Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester.
Nazmul Farook said regionalism was so predominant in the management of the Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester that he was now a minority. Although he is trying to protest against injustice, being a minority, nothing is being done by him. It is very sad that there have been several unpleasant incidents in the mosque and insulting the Imam. I am always in favor of justice. I do not condone any injustice. I always protest against injustice but who listens to whom? Farook mentioned that many like him were helpless to the organized clique.
Asked about Ashikur Rahman Ashik’s resignation from the post of secretary of the mosque, Farook said he had heard about the resignation of the secretary in public. No one from the committee informed him about the official rules. It is the responsibility of the president or vice-president but none of them informed him. He has publicly heard about the appointment of a new secretary. He does not know anything about this.
Farook, one of the members of the board of trustee, added that the responsibility of the board of trustee is to select new committees, appoint new ones and cancel appointments. Although he is one of the members of the board of trustee of the Manchester Bayt ul Mamur Mosque Management Committee, he has not known anything about the resignation of the secretary Ashikur Rahman and the appointment of a new secretary for two months. He also mentioned that it was a tragic incident. He said it was a mystery not to inform the board of trustees about the appointment of a new secretary if members of the board of trustees were needed during the formation of the new committee. He spoke on the phone with another member of the board of trustee, Abdul Qaiyum. But Abdul Qaiyum also did not know anything about the resignation of secretary Ashikur Rahman and the appointment of a new secretary, Farook said.
Farook said he did not know anything about the Manchester Bayt ul Mamur mosque management committee threatening to cancel the membership of five worshipers. No such decision was taken at any meeting. He said he was not informed that he would not agree to any such decision.
Mohammad Rahman Tuhin, vice-chairman of the committee, said the issue of giving lawyer’s notice to 5 worshipers has been discussed in the committee. Notice has been sent as per the decision of the committee. Tuhin said that it was not right to send a notice to everyone without mentioning who posted what on social media.
It may be mentioned that during the formation of the new committee for a period of three years on Friday afternoon, June 26, there was a commotion and unpleasant incident between the members of the committee and the worshipers. In the same mosque, there have been several unpleasant incidents in which the imam of the mosque has been insulted by the treasurer.
Bayt ul Mamur Mosque in Manchester, Connecticut. Photo: Bnagla Press
Witnesses said a general meeting was called on the same day to form a new committee for the mosque. Ashiqur Rahman, general secretary of the mosque committee, was conducting the meeting peacefully when the meeting started after Asr. No problem was seen till Maghrib prayers. After Maghrib prayers, the meeting resumed. On behalf of the worshipers, there is a demand to change some rules of the constitution by increasing the term of the members of the good standing mosque from 3 years to 1 year. Although most of the devotees present in favor of the proposal supported them, supporters and close relatives of the committee’s treasurer Tarek Ambia and his brother Taufiful Ambia took a stand against the proposal. At the general meeting, the worshipers asked various questions on the amendment of the constitution and non-constitutional activities. Unable to answer the questions of the worshipers correctly, at the behest of Tarek Ambia, his cousins Moinul, Enam and Nazmul insulted the questioners in vulgar language. At one stage, Tarek Ambia and Moinul Islam addressed some Muslims as Devils (Satan). When other members and worshipers went to protest against their words, quarrels started between the parties. Both sides tried to attack and counter-attack. At one point a lot of commotion started.
Mosque committee members and worshipers Harun Ahmed and Sarkar Mamun said the committee’s treasurers Tarek Ambia and Taufiful Ambia and their cousins Moinul, Nazmul and Enam caused chaos in the peaceful meeting. Like the Khal Nayak of Bengali cinema, attacked the devotees twice. The worshipers became angry. Seeing that the situation was strange, Tarek and Tipu helped their Lathial (Sticks) cousins to escape from the mosque. Ashiqur Rahman, general secretary of the committee, tried unsuccessfully to stop the commotion. Later, with the help of others, the situation came under control. Although the meeting to form the committee was called off, the new committee was formed for the next 3 years by force and illegally in the absence of most of the worshipers.
When asked about the incident on Friday June 26, Ashiqur Rahman, general secretary of the mosque committee, admitted the unpleasant incident and said that he was responsible for it. Because he was officiating the meeting. People from both groups were present during the meeting. At one time a worshiper and member named Moinul Islam said that there are many devils here. Responding to this, member and worshiper Harun Ahmed said that Devils is also among you. At this time a quarrel broke out between the two sides and a heated situation arose. Both sides tried to attack and counter-attack. At one point a lot of commotion started. However, he blamed himself for failing to stop the commotion.
Meanwhile, on October 12, 2019 last year, Tarek Ambia, the current treasurer of the mosque committee, unnecessarily insulted former Pesh Imam Maulana Jobayer Ahmed. The incident was widely reported in North America, including Connecticut, and received a great response from the Muslim community, including various religious organizations. Many condemned the incident.
Imam and madrasa teacher Maulana Jobayer Ahmed was conducting classes for the students of the madrasa every week on October 12, 2019 at 10 am in front of Bayt ul Mamur Mosque. 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, Tareq Ambia, brought his son about 15/20 minutes late. He kept knocking on the door. Imam Jobayer Ahmed could not understand the harsh words as the class was going on inside. Tareq 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 comparing Imam with an animal. Because of this, Imam Jobayer Ahmed felt extremely humiliated. Imam went back to his home with pain in his mind. He has not come to the mosque since that day. Later another Imam was appointed.
Taufiful Ambia Tipu, the brother of the current treasurer of the mosque committee, Tarek Ambia, also called the expatriate Bangladeshi worshipers in Manchester as ‘devils’ through a Facebook post.
BP/SM
