(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari (pictured), was attacked by a man who tried to set him on fire during yesterday's evening prayers (maghrib), police and witnesses said. The accused was arrested.
The incident took place at the Jama Masjid when a man in his early 30s approached the Shahi Imam while the latter was praying, poured kerosene on him and tried to set him ablaze, younger brother Tariq Bukhari said. But the attacker failed to harm the Shahi Imam.
"The Imam did not receive any external injury," Tariq Bukhari said. The man, identified as Kamaluddin, 32, a resident of 24-Parganas district of West Bengal, was immediately nabbed by the Shahi Imam's personal security officers and later handed over to local police. No further details were available, and it was unclear what prompted the man - who was not immediately identified - to attack the Shahi Imam.
The 17th century Jama Masjid, reputedly India's largest mosque, is located across the Red Fort.
Earlier in the day, Shaban Bukhari, the 19-year-old son of the Shahi Imam, has been chosen to succeed him as the 14th Shahi Imam of the country's largest mosque. Shaban Bukhari was picked for the influential post due to his "strong inclination" towards humanities besides his religious capabilities, said Syed Ahmed Bukhari.
The teenager, who is pursuing Bachelors in Social Work at a private university, will be anointed as the 'Nayib Shahi Imam' (vice-imam) at a ceremony on November 22, 2014 which will be attended by around 1,000 religious leaders from across the world.
He will be groomed under his father, who will remain the Shahi Imam for his life. Shaban Bukhari will then take over the mantle from his father. Jama Masjid's history dates back to 1656, when Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari was conferred the title of Shahi Imam by then Mughal emperor Shahjahan. He was sent to Delhi by the Shah of Bukhara, then Emperor of Uzbekistan, following a request from Shahjahan.
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