Muslim cleric harassed for teaching Quran in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Muslim cleric from eastern India was harassed and threatened in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand after members of Hindu militant outfits objected to him teaching basic Quran lessons to Muslim children, an incident that has reignited concerns over growing scrutiny of Muslim religious practices in public and semi-private spaces.

The episode occurred in Uttarakhand, in a village near the town of Rishikesh, a region internationally known for spiritual tourism but increasingly witnessing communal tensions. 

The cleric, originally from Bihar, had been teaching Quran reading to children from nearby Muslim households inside a small shop for an extended period, according to local residents.

A video of the confrontation, now widely circulated on social media, shows a heated exchange in which members of Hindu organizations raise objections, question the cleric’s identity and challenge the legitimacy of the religious teaching. Voices are raised and accusations are exchanged, while bystanders attempt to intervene.

According to the cleric, the confrontation quickly turned hostile. He said members of the group arrived together, threatened him and called him a “Pakistani” — a slur commonly used against Indian Muslims to question their loyalty. 

He described the encounter as humiliating and intimidating, stressing that teaching the Quran to Muslim children was neither illegal nor secretive.

Following objections raised by Hindu groups, the shop was shut and the cleric was asked to pause the classes until identity and verification checks are completed. Police later said they had initiated an inquiry after receiving complaints from multiple sides.

Leaders associated with Hindu extremist groups defended the intervention. Vishwa Hindu Shakti Sangathan claimed that details on the cleric’s national identity document appeared questionable and argued that local verification was necessary. 

Hindu militant outfit Bajrang Dal alleged that a religious school in the area had previously been closed by court order and suggested that Quran lessons being conducted in a shop should not be permitted.

The cleric rejected these claims, saying he has lived in Uttarakhand for 15 years and does not run a madrasa or formal institution. He said he was willing to show all documents if approached respectfully, but objected to being confronted publicly by a group acting in a threatening manner.

Legal experts note that India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and protects the rights of minorities to establish and manage educational activities. Informal religious instruction within communities, they say, does not require special permission unless it violates specific laws.

Local residents said tensions escalated when members of the Muslim community objected to the manner in which the cleric was confronted, leading to shouting, pushing and a brief scuffle before police intervened.

A local police official said authorities are examining the matter and verifying documents, adding that no one should take the law into their own hands. Members of the Muslim community expressed concern that the incident has created fear, particularly among families whose children were attending the classes.

Civil rights advocates say the episode reflects a broader national pattern in which Muslim religious activity — even at the most basic, community level — is increasingly subjected to scrutiny by non-state actors, with pressure often exerted first through intimidation and only later filtered through formal legal processes.