With No Mosque, Rohingya Refugees Worship In Their Homes

Riyaz Khan with his daughter in a Rohingya refugee camp in Delhi. Photo by Shadab Farooq

NEW DELHI— When government officials demolished a makeshift mosque last summer as part of an anti-encroachment drive to clear land settled by refugees and migrant workers, the Rohingya community in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar neighborhood mourned the loss of not only tents and homes along the polluted riverbank but also its place of worship.

“Since the government razed our masjid, we've been praying mostly at our homes,” said Mohammed Anwar, 35, one of the Rohingya refugee camp's community leaders who now lives in South Delhi's Kalindi Kunj neighborhood, also along the riverbank.

READ: Surviving COVID-19, Fire, Mosque Demolition, Rohingya Refugees Hold Onto Faith

Officials from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department evicted 16 Rohingya families from the camp in July 2021, claiming the land in question belonged to the state irrigation department.

“The Rohingyas have been living without permission on the land and it was necessary to carry this out,” Mahendra Singh, minister of drinking water and sanitation in Uttar Pradesh, told the Indian Express. “They also built a makeshift mosque which could have led to a conflict later. In matter of national interest, the land was cleared.”

The locals have not been able to construct a mosque big enough to house the community yet.

 “We need a place of prayer,” local Riyaz Khan told ReligionUnplugged.com, “but we could only build a 5-by-5 (meter) area. There can only be seven individuals in it, including the imam.”

 A makeshift mosque made by the residents after their masjid was gutted down by bulldozers. Photo by Shadab Farooq

The Indian Hindu-first government has shown increasing contempt for both Muslim Indians and Muslim refugees like the Rohingya, who have fled killings by its army in Myanmar since 2012 — human rights bodies have labeled this genocide.

The Rohingya trace their origins to Bangladesh, differing ethnically, linguistically and religiously from the Buddhist majority in Myanmar — which does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens though they have lived in the country for many generations. The Rohingya are a stateless population.  

“During the day, I offer namaz (Islamic worship) in Bilal Masjid,” said Mohammed Shakir, a young worker and camp resident, “but it is too unsafe to go there for nighttime prayers.” Bilal Masjid in Kalindi Kunj is the closest mosque but is 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) away from the camp.

About 40,000 Rohingya refugees live in cramped and dilapidated camps across Indian cities, according to registrations kept by the U.N. refugee agency in Delhi. Many Rohingya are still unregistered. Those who are registered have been given refugee cards by the U.N., which allow access to basic government services.

A young Rohingya girl poses for the camera at a refugee camp. Photo by Shadab Farooq

More than 1 million Rohingya people are being held in Bangladesh's crowded and filthy camps along the Myanmar border. In addition, a large number of people have sought shelter in neighboring Asian nations, such as India, but many residents feel persecuted and fearful there.

After protests in 2020 against legislation that allows religious minorities except Muslims from neighboring countries to access a fast-track to Indian citizenship and threatens the citizenship of Muslims who have lived for generations in India, several right-wing Hindu groups have described the Rohingya as “terrorists” and accused them — without evidence — of carrying out terrorist attacks across the country.

Many of the camp's residents live in constant fear of another confrontation. “We take turns sleeping,” Fatima, 30, told ReligionUnplugged.com.

Fatima's husband, Haroon, 52, prays five times a day in his home. “He spends most of his time in his juggi,” Fatima said.

Haroon was attacked and thrown in a drainage ditch while on his way to Bilal Masjid two years ago, when he was the community leader and a forceful speaker. So now he stays indoors and is quiet, according to Fatima. “In this disease, it's best he stays inside,” she said, smiling at Haroon.

“A forceful voice remaining quiet is a misfortune,” Fatima added. 

“Praying is a basic human right, and we need more space,” Haroon said.

Shadab Farooq is an independent journalist based in Delhi and a graduating student at Jamia Millia Islamia. He has reported for People Archives of Rural India, The Wire, Two Circles Network and Island Journal, among others.