Mosques have been used by worshipers and travellers at the same time. But, with the passage of time, the role of mosques went limited due to several reasons. Under the pretext of terrorism, now mosques are closed soon after the Isha prayer and no stranger or local is allowed to enter the mosque and offer prayer.
In this connection, Pakistan Today conducted a survey in Kasur city and amazingly almost all the mosques were found closed soon after the Isha prayer. There was hardly a single mosque in the city where any stranger or any local may enter after the prayer time and may execute any positive activity. Even the students who find no library in their areas, they cannot enter a mosque after the prayer for their studies.
Locals were of the view that certain old or sick people who normally reach mosque late; they cannot offer prayer there because the administration closes mosque soon after the Jamaat.
Imran Hanfi, a local, said whenever he visited his mosque after the prayer, he found prayer leader restricting people from entering the mosque.
He added, “Mostly prayer leaders use the mosques for residential purposes and lock the main gate after every Jamaat.”
When different prayer leaders were contacted, they said they had to lock mosques for security reasons.
Mosque; a house of prayer leader?
