This madrasa in Agra has many Hindu students

A madrasa in Agra has been setting an example of social and religious harmony for

almost a decade and is imparting social values and education not only to Muslims,

but also to kids belonging to Hinduism and other religions. The Moinul Islam

Madarsa Darautha, besides Urdu, Arabic and Farsi, also has English, Hindi,

Mathematics, Science and Computer Science as subjects for the benefit and ease of

students of other religions.

The madrasa has adopted the change for the past 10 years and presents a pleasant

view of Hindu and Muslim students sitting under one roof and learning 'Dunyavi

Taleem'. Established in 1958, there are 450 students in Moinul Islam Madarsa

Darautha at present. There was not a single Hindu student in the madrasa about 10

years ago, but now, there are 202 Hindu students along with 248 Muslim kids. Besides

Hindi, non-Muslim students are also gaining knowledge of Urdu and Arabic. To teach

regular subjects, there are 14 maulanas and for other subjects, there are four teachers

in the madrasa, which has students from classes 1 to 10.

Priyanka, a student of Class 4, shares her experience. "I have a lot of Muslim friends

and one day, I thought that besides Hindi, English and Computer Science, why not I

study Urdu and Arabic?"

Deepti, another Class 4 student, says the madrasa is located near her house and since

many of her friends study there, she asked her father to get her admitted there.

"Giving in to Deepti's choice, I got her admitted in the madrasa and now she enjoys

studying there. For the past two years, she is also studying Urdu and Arabic besides

general subjects," Deepti's father Mahendra Singh said.

"No religion teaches discrimination on the basis of caste and creed. It is a pleasant

sight to see students of different religions sitting under one roof and sending a

message of unity and prosperity. Indirectly, this is a small effort made by us to send a

message to all educational institutions across India," principal Maulana Ujair Alam

said.

Muslims organise funds for Hindu woman’s wedding in Bengal village

A group of Muslims recently came together to fund the marriage of a Hindu woman

in a West Bengal village, which has only eight Hindu families and around 600 Muslim

households. Led by Motiur Rahaman, a local madrassa headmaster, the Muslims

helped Saraswati, daughter of late daily-wager, marry Tapan Chowdhury in their

Khanpur village of Malda district.

Saraswati’s father, Trjilal Chowdhury had died three years ago leaving his wife

Sovarani in financial crisis with her five daughters and a son. Sovarani had managed

to arrange Rs 2,000 dowry demanded by the groom’s family, but was left penniless

after that to arrange the wedding.

“On coming to know of Sovarani’s problem, I had discussions with my neighbours

Abdul Bari, Imadul Rahaman, Jalaluddin, and Sahidul Islam, among others. We all

agreed that since Saraswati is our daughter only despite being of different religion, it

is our duty to arrange a proper wedding,” Rahaman said. He and his group then

approached Sovarani and assured her the amount, which they collected soon after and

helped conduct the marriage.

A reception ceremony was also held on November 25 where Rahaman stood at the

entrance of Sovarani’s residence, greeting the groom and his family members. “Had

Trjilal been alive, he would have done that. In his absence, I did it since Saraswati is

nothing less than my own daughter,” Rahaman said.

Transgender group organizes wedding for poor Hindu, Muslim women

in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur

In a unique initiative taken up by a transgender group in which Hindu and Muslim

daughters from impoverished families were married off at mass wedding ceremony

in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur.

Neetu Kinnar, head of a transgender group blessing couple at a mass wedding ceremony in

Bharatpur.

Ten couples, including five Hindus and five Muslims, tied the knot at the ceremony

according their religious rituals. The ten women belonged to poor families whose

parents were not in a financial position to get them married, says Nettu Bai, head of

the transgender community who has been organizing joint wedding programme

every year since 2012. Besides bearing the wedding expenses, the group also offers

ornaments, clothes, feasts for the guests, she says. “We save money every year to

organize the weddings of daughters of poor families but never accepted donation

from people for the ceremonies.”

Popularly known as “mausi”, Nettu Bai was elected as the corporator of the ward no

29 of the Bharatpur Municipal Corporation in November 2014. A social worker, who

has dedicated her life to work for betterment of girls from impoverished families,

Nettu Bai has over the years organsied marriage ceremonies for more than 60 poor

Hindu and Muslims women in her ward.

Nettu Bai deposits Rs 4,000 every day to organize the mass weddings every year. She

says she visits poor families and indentifies girls from impoverished families that do

not have the means to marry off their daughters and then selects 10 of them for the

mass weddings every year. “I have been giving massages to the society to save the girl

child and requests people to give their daughters to the group if they are unable to

feed them,” says Nettu Bai, who also takes care of the daughters after their marriage.

Muslims forego Muharram procession to fund cancer treatment of Hindu man in Bengal

Muslims in West Bengal’s Kharagpur have decided to cancel Muharram procession

this year and donate the money for the treatment of a Hindu neighbour, who is a

cancer patient.

Samaj Sangha Club, which organises Muharram procession in Kharagpur’s Puratan

Bazar, will raise Rs 50,000, the amount needed for the celebration, for Abir Bhunia

(35), a mobile recharge shop owner who is suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a

cancer of the immune system. They have already given him Rs 6,000.

Bhunia is undergoing chemotherapy at Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre in the southern

fringes of Kolkata and needs Rs 12 lakh for a treatment that includes bone marrow

transplantation.

“Muharram processions can be organised every year. But we have to save the life

first,” said Amjad Khan, secretary of Samaj Sangha. “We have started raising money.

On Friday, after the namaz we will ask the imam in the mosque to announce a

donation drive for Abir. We hope to raise a bigger amount than the budget for our

procession,” said Khan.

An overwhelmed Bhunia is full of gratitude for his neighbours. “I don’t know whether

I will be cured finally. But what my neighbours did for me have touched my heart,”

he said. He lost his grandmother and both parents last year, and lives with his wife, a

homemaker, and they are expecting their first child.

Bhunia’s neighbour Ranjan Ash pointed out that there were some community Durga

Pujas in the locality, but none of them thought of “curtailing their expenditure and

help the youth”. “We are overwhelmed.”

Mohammad Bilal, a member of the Muharram committee of Puratan Bazar, said God

would be satisfied “if we serve the people”. “He is suffering from cancer and fighting

with death. We should stand by him.”

As word spread of the Muslims’ gesture, assistance seems to be pouring in. Pradip

Sarkar, chairman of Kharagpur municipality, said they would try to help Bhunia.

Muslims perform last rites of Kashmiri Pandit lady

When a Kashmiri Pandit lady, Neelam (32) died of heart attack recently at Batnag area

of Tral in Kashmir’s Pulwama district, her Muslim neighbours immediately rushed

towards her house to console her family. They not only mourned at her demise, but

also performed her last rites. According to the family of the deceased, Neelam

complained of severe chest pain and within ten minutes expired. Her death evoked a

hysterical reaction from her kids. The neighbours mostly Muslims thronged Neelam’s

house to console her family including her two little kids. According to her husband,

Ashok Kumar died due to cardiac arrest. “Since yesterday evening she was not feeling

well. I was planning to take her to Sub District Hospital Tral but she died within no

time,” Ashok said.

Neelam’s husband Ashok who clung to his roots and refused to leave the valley

during 90s runs a bakery shop outside his house. Shedding tears Ashok was seen

being consoled by his Muslim associates. As the news of her death broke, locals were

inconsolable. A tearful Mohammad Yousuf Naik said: “She was just like my mother

and used to treat me like her own son.”

People from adjoining villages Tral-e Bala, Tral-e Payeen reached her house to

participate in Neelam’s last rites. At least three Muslim women in her neighborhood

fainted when they saw Neelam lying dead. “It is a tragic loss for our colony as we lost

a polite and a dear friend. We will always miss her,” said Lovely, Neelam’s childhood

friend.

Until their relatives from Jammu would reach Tral, the Muslims had kept all the

arrangements ready for the last rites. Ashok’s next door neighbour Bashir Ahmed Bhat

says: “This is our primary duty to help our neighbours irrespective of their religion.

Ashok is our neighbour and Islam teaches us to fulfill the rights of neighbour.” “We

are thankful to our Muslim neighbors who treat us like a family. We never felt that we

are from a different religion. We are the real symbol of Kashmiryat,” said Neelam’s

father- in- law at the cremation ground.

Muslim and Hindu leaders attend Onam celebrations together in

Kerala town

For the past several months, Kodinhi, a town in Kerala’s Malappuram district, has

been in the news for all the wrong reasons: the murder of Mohammed Faisal P, a local

who had recently embraced Islam, had brought plenty of bad press for the town.

However, in an attempt to show that the city still had in secular credentials intact,

leaders of the Muslim and Hindu communities celebrated Onam together. The

celebrations, which was organised by Nannambra Panchayat committee of Youth

League, was attended by clerics from nearby mosques and priests from temples.

Ahead of the function, organisers had invited functionaries of 19 temples and 50

mosques in Nannambra panchayat and a community kitchen was organised for about

500 people.

According to Nannambra panchayat member P Chandran, the village is still upset

over the incident, which most of them believe unfortunate. “They feel it created gaps

between two communities,” he said.

Faisal was hacked to death for accepting Islam in November 2017.

“The area has witnessed no issues following Faisal murder. But the shock suffered by

the area is yet to subside,” he said.

A floral carpet was jointly laid by activists of various political parties. The inaugural

ceremony followed a feast. Author P Surendran delivered the keynote address. He

said that the local issues could be solved by sitting together and attending a feast. The

function was inaugurated by Swami Madhusree Gyanatapaswi, head of the Santhigiri

Ashramam situated few kilometres from Kondinhi. He said that communal

discomforts were the creation of divisive thinking of ill-fated minds. “One’s religion,

caste or creed should not be an impediment in the way forward for a progressive

society. This kind of inclusive celebrations would surely impart a great message of

cohesion and its importance,” Swami said.

Youth League Panchayat committee president Rasaq Kodinhi said functionaries and

clerics of various mosques here will visit the temples in the area in the coming days as

part of the campaign. Besides, temple functionaries will also visit the mosques in the

region.

A Hindu driver’s heart ticks in a Muslim teacher’s body

An unlettered Hindu family in Gujarat recently gave a new lease of life to a Muslim man on the death bed. Thanks to the efforts of Donate Life, an NGO working for organ

donations, the heart of a 21-year-old driver, brain dead after a road accident, was earlier this month transplanted into the body of a 32-year-old madrasa teacher who had been fighting for life for the past eight months.

When Amit Halpati, son of farm laborers living in a village in Navsari district in south Gujarat, decided to go for a jolly ride with a friend on the latter’s motorcycle, little did he realize that he had driven a nail in his coffin. Minutes after they left their hamlet, the bike skidded and Halpati sustained serious head injuries while his pal was only slightly hurt. He was rushed to a public hospital in nearby Surat where doctors later declared him brain dead sending shockwaves down the spine of his kinsmen. In no time, volunteers of Donate Life reached out to the grieving family members and succeeded in convincing them how Halpati’s organs could save the life of seven run-down people on their last legs.

While his two kidneys, two eyes, liver and pancreas were donated to different needy patients, the heart had to be removed and safely taken to a private hospital in Ahmedabad where Sohail Vora of Anand in central Gujarat, whose heart was on the blink, was awaiting a donor since November, 2016. With the help of policemen, airport staff, local doctors, a Donate Life team created a ‘green corridor’ by stopping the traffic and allowing free and continuous passage to the ambulance carrying the heart and taking it to Ahmedabad by a chartered aircraft.

“The distance of 277 km from the Surat civil hospital to the private hospital in Ahmedabad was covered in 85 minutes flat and the five-hour heart transplant surgery was immediately performed on Sohail,” said Nilesh Mandlewala, founder and president of Donate Life which has so far procured 494 organs to bring smiles on the faces of as many patients.

Muslims in Madhya Pradesh gift loudspeaker to temple from where it was stolen

Saed Khan, the local corporator, said they replaced the speaker as nobody had bought a new one for the temple.

Muslims in Harda town recently gifted a sound system to a temple after it was stolen

a few days ago. Talking about the move, Saed Khan, local corporator and president of

Harda district Wakf committee, said he passed by the Hanuman temple on the

outskirts of Harda town. “Five days ago, thieves broke into the temple and stole the

loudspeaker. For the past few days, whenever I passed by the temple, there was no

sound of devotional songs. I felt bad and asked the priest of the temple if anyone had

brought a new one. When he said no, we bought a new amplifier and gifted it to my

Hindu brothers,” he said. “Even if some people have made controversial remarks

about the use of loudspeakers in mosques and temples, I just want to say that in India,

people have never objected to such things...” said Khan.

Earlier this month, the Muslims in Harda under the leadership of Khan gave a

respectful burial to a dead cow after its carcass remained unattended. Last year Hindu

right-wing activists allegedly assaulted a Muslim couple on a train at Harda on the

suspicion of carrying beef.

Sikhs open Gurdwara for Muslims to pray

It had been raining heavily in the higher reaches of Uttarakhand, with water flooding

parts of Joshimath in Chamoli. Muslims, who had started gathering in large numbers

since morning for Bakrid prayer (namaz) found that the open ground where they had

been praying was fully under water. They soon realised that there was no way they

would be able to offer their namaz there. Help came from some Sikhs who offered their

Gurdwara. The offer was immediately taken up and some 1,000 Muslims from

Joshimath, Govindghat and Pipalkoti did their Eid namaz on the Gurdwara's premises,

in peace and relative dryness.

Buta Singh, manager of the Joshimath Gurdwara Committee, says: “There is no

mosque in the area and the Eid namaz is offered in an open ground, at Gandhi Maidan,

which is less than a kilometre from our Gurdwara. On getting to know that the ground

was flooded and a huge gathering would not be able to pray at the spot, the Gurdwara

management quickly came forward to offer assistance. That was the least we could

do.”

Mohammad Aslam, who sells vegetables in Joshimath, said, “We are deeply touched.

This act by the Gurdwara committee displays the true spirit of brotherhood.”

Rohingya Muslims crisis: Sikh volunteers begin ‘Guru ka Langar’ at

Bangladesh-Myanmar border, hoping to provide 35,000 meals a day

Three days after Sikh volunteers from Khalsa Aid (India) arrived in Bangladesh-

Myanmar border to begin relief work for Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar, they

finally got the go ahead from the Bangladesh government to start the Guru ka langar

(community kitchen preparing and serving fresh hot meals.

The langar seva began at a spot on Shahpuri Island (also known as Shapuree Island)

where the refugees from Myanmar are landing after traveling for days in rickety boats.

Amarpreet Singh, managing director, India for Khalsa Aid, said, “We cooked and

served the first langar meals here today. We had purchased raw materials like rice,

vegetables and big utensils on Wednesday after getting required permissions from the

government of Bangladesh. The initial target is at least 35,000 meals per day. However

seeing the increasing number of refugees here, we know it won’t be enough to feed all

but we had to start somewhere.”

Seeing the ‘miserable state’ of the refugees, especially children who haven’t eaten for

days, it was difficult for the team to decide from where langar should start, he added.

“We feared that there might be a stampede seeing food being served here. There are

at least 3 lakh refugees here already. But a beginning had to be made though we

cannot feed everyone here in a single day. People are in dire need of food here.

Children are roaming and begging on roads for food. The condition continues to be

miserable,” he said.

On the first day of the langar, Sikh volunteers served cooked rice and vegetables.

However, starting the community kitchen and making all preparations in the border

town of Bangladesh, which continues to be flooded with Rohingya Muslims from

Myanmar, wasn’t easy as the team initially faced some hiccups.

“We went to local markets to purchase utensils and raw materials. But some

shopkeepers inflated the rates and quoted double prices seeing that we are outsiders.

However many locals also helped us in making arrangements. We managed

somehow. The attitude of the locals towards Rohingyas is varying at individual level.

Some are really compassionate and trying to help them. They are even coming from

far off areas to help them but then some are not. They are seeing them as burden on

their country,” said Singh.

Before serving the meals, an ardaas (a prayer) was performed.

Meanwhile, the Khalsa Aid volunteers back home are organizing fundraisers for the

langar seva at Bangladesh border. Gursahib Singh, a volunteer in Ludhiana said, “The

langar there can continue only if we have requisite funds. We request people to donate

for the sake of humanity. Please forget about religion barriers and think about the

children who are sleeping with empty stomachs. They are also humans.”

Sanskrit lessons for aspiring Islamic scholars

K K Yatheendran a teaches Sanskrit at Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies

Thrissur (Kerala): An Islamic institution in Kerala is setting a fine example of inter-

cultural understanding in the cultural capital of the state by teaching Sanskrit. The

Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies (ASAS), an Islamic institution which trains

students to become scholars and madrasa teachers, provides graduation in Islamic

Sharia along with a degree in Arts under Calicut University. Along with this, students

are taught Sanskrit, Indian tradition and other major world languages. ASAS is run

by Malik Deenar Islamic Complex (MIC), situated in Thrissur.

K K Yatheendran, a disciple of renowned Sanskrit scholar K P Narayana Pisharody, is

teaching Sanskrit at ASAS. Principal of the institution Ustad Muhammad Faizy

Onampilly said students will be learning Kalidasa’s epic poems like Raghuvamsa and

Kumarasambhava. Students are selected for a residential eight-year course, during

which they gain an in-depth knowledge of Islam alongside regular school and

university education. The classes start at 6am and end by 5pm.

Such an attempt to learn the language, culture and philosophy of another community

is a rare phenomenon. "We are training students to become Islamic scholars and

teachers and we want them to have a perspective suitable for a multi-cultural society.

When they learn a language in depth, the culture and philosophy of India, their

perspectives will be moulded in the right manner. At the same time, they will stick to

Sharia. Through a multi-lingual approach, we can develop the wisdom to understand

different cultures among students," said Faizy, a Sanskrit scholar who holds an MA in

Vedanta.

Yatheendran felt that the process was not an extraordinary one. "Sanskrit is taught in

a traditional manner. They start with 'Siddharoopam' and progress to grammar and

literature. It is the same like teaching in any other institution. As a teacher, my duty is

to teach and the more students I have, the happier I am. There are some exemplary

similarities between Sanskrit and Arabic when it comes to grammar. As students here

are learning Arabic, it is easy for them to learn Sanskrit too," he said.

Muslim group participates in Gujarat flood relief work, cleans up

temples and mosques

In the flood-hit town of Dhanera in Banaskantha (Gujarat), 64 people have lost their

lives to floods recently. Considered as a Hindu-dominated town, some 3,500 Muslims

from Dhanera, Deesa, Palanpur and nearby villages gathered under the banner of an

Islamic organisation, Jamiat ul-Ulama-i Hind, to aid the town, cleaning places of

worship and residence alike, after waters started receding slowly.

The Jamiat claims that the town was submerged under 10 feet of flood waters that

coursed its way through thousands of homes, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

The volunteers from the Jamiat cleaned some major temples in Dhanera like Ganapati,

Hanuman, Satimata, Lilashah and Ashapura Mata temples in the first two days itself

with the help of locals, sending out a very positive message of communal amity.

Mahmood Madani has expressed optimism that it will strengthen feeling of

brotherhood and national unity.

Different local units of Jamiat have arranged 25 vehicles containing food grains, ration,

bed, blanket and water etc. So far more than 700 patients have been provided with

medical assistance.

Help Sought For Stranded Sikh from Mosque Loud Speaker

Setting an example of communal harmony, Muslims in Tral, in south Kashmir,

rescued an elderly Sikh man when a cloudburst triggered flash floods in a local stream

submerging vast areas recently. Janak Singh, a retired government employee was

stranded in a stream at Rathsuna village when water level suddenly increased. He

called out for help after water surrounded him from all sides. As soon the news about

the stranded Janak Singh reached his native village, a Muslim boy there announced it

on a mosque loudspeaker. Soon, a large number of people came out their houses and

rushed to Rathsuna to rescue Janak Singh. Finally, he was safely taken out from the

gushing waters after several attempts.

The same day, a number of youth from Sikh community did a commendable job too

when they came out to help Muslim neighbours in Nagbal village, which was hit by

the flash floods.

Interfaith Meeting Supports Organ Donation

Misplaced religious beliefs often come in the way of a family's decision to donate

organs and save lives. While proponents say a lot of these barriers are breaking

down, several myths continue to surround death and the afterlife that deter people

from donating organs.

Recently, The Times of India, in collaboration with the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani

Hospital, invited leaders from various religious communities to dispel some of the

misconceptions.

"There are many forms of charity but the biggest of all is donating organs," said

Rajyogini Kamlesh from the Brahma Kumaris. "There is no spiritual hindrance in

donating organs. If religion doesn't come in the way of donating worldly possession,

why would it object to organ donation?" she said.

Swami Durgananda from Ramkrishna Math and Mission said organ donation was not

a new concept as Indian scriptures have mentioned several instances of this. He cited

Rishi Dadhichi, a saint who sacrificed his limbs and bones for moral accomplishment

and to triumph over vice.

Christianity thinks no differently. Father Stephen Fernandes, a professor of Moral

Theology said, "Pope John Paul II affirmed that every transplant has its source in a

decision of great ethical value. The nobility of the act lies in the decision to offer

without reward a part of one's own body for the wellbeing of another person," he said.

Maria Khan, a member of Centre for Peace and Spirituality, said the Quran regards

saving a life as having saved the mankind. "Organ donation is a unique way of

honouring the sanctity of life. This is why it is undoubtedly an Islamic act," she said.

Judaism that had reservations in the past about organ donation has evolved with

rabbis world over now talking in its favour. "Every Jewish child is taught about tikkun

olam, which means heal the world. We can take it a step forward by continuing good

deeds after we are dead," said Hannah Akiv Judah, speaking from the Jewish point of

view.

Moving Towards Oneness

A Report on an Interfaith Get-Together at HMI

Interfaith dialogue is today a pressing necessity in order to overcome deep-rooted

negative images about other religions and their adherents and to resolve inter-

communal conflicts (in which distorted, supremacist and exclusivist interpretations of

religion often have a major role to play). Such dialogue is also essential in order to

bring people of different faith backgrounds to work together to address common

social concerns (such as, for instance, the ecological crisis or the perceived crisis of

values) that affect all religious communities. Further, by affording an opportunity to

benefit from the wisdom contained in other religious traditions and to be inspired by

people of other faiths, interfaith sharing can help individuals in their own spiritual

journeys.

Interfaith dialogue and inter-communal harmony are a major focus of the Henry

Martyn Institute, which has been engaged in this field for several decades. Recently

(8th-10th August), the institute organized a three-day interfaith programme, which

brought together several people from various faith communities. The theme of the get-

together was ‘Explore-Experience-Evolve Towards Oneness’. Participants shared with

each other some basic tenets of their respective religions, highlighting particularly

teachings about the Oneness of God or Ultimate Reality and the oneness of creation,

including humanity.

In his presentation, Prof. C.S.R. Prabhu spoke about the concept of oneness from the

perspective of the tradition of Non-Dualism in Hinduism, according to which the

individual soul is one with the God, which can be realized by overcoming attachments

and negative tendencies so that one finally realizes oneness with everything.

Shri Kasturchand Manicklal Jhabak spoke about teachings related to oneness in the

Jain tradition, such as living and letting others live, forgiveness and inner reform. He

suggested that just as the countries of the world have got together to form a United

Nations, there should be a united platform for the different religions.

In his presentation, Dr. Packiam Samuel, Director of the Henry Martyn Institute,

reflected on the theme of interfaith harmony from the Christian tradition. He spoke

about how the Christian scriptures are interpreted diversely, from different

standpoints, and underscored the need for contextual exegesis. In this regard, he

highlighted selected incidents mentioned in the Bible that can be interpreted to

underscore respect for religious pluralism.

Dhammapala Bhante, a Theravada Buddhist monk, explained that from the

perspective of the Buddhist tradition, the starting point or basis of oneness is universal

suffering. He stressed that one must first work on one’s own self, developing

awareness of one’s mind and body, for which Buddhism stresses meditation. A person

who is suitably transformed through meditative practices can become a force for great

good in the world, reflecting compassion through his very being and in all his actions.

Dr. Syed Naqi Mehdi spoke about on the notion of the Oneness of God in Islam and

respect for religious pluralism as reflected in the Quran and in the life of the Prophet

Muhammad (such as the Medina Declaration, that guaranteed the rights of

inhabitants of Medina irrespective of religion, and the Hudaibiyyah peace treaty

between the Prophet and his Meccan opponents).

The Oneness of God and of the equality of all human beings is a basic teaching of the

Sikh Gurus, Dr. Raminder Kaur stressed in her presentation. The Sri Guru Granth

Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, contains verses by saints from different religious and

caste backgrounds, including Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus, this reflecting the central

teaching of the Gurus of the oneness of all humanity and the oneness of the teachings

of the realized spiritual masters from different traditions.

The programme afforded ample opportunity for participants to get to know each

other and to have lively conversations at lunch-time and some fun-filled moments

over a cup of tea. Participants felt that such programmes were really the need of the

hour.

Religious differences will remain: we cannot wish them away. But what we can do is

to learn to accept and live with them and even to learn and benefit from them while

working together with people of diverse religious backgrounds for the common social

good, recognizing this is mandated by the One God, the God of us all.

Society needs humanism: Muslim woman who married paralysed

Dalit man

Meharunnisa and Pramod

He is a Hindu Dalit, paralysed below the waist and wheelchair-bound for 10 years.

She is from an orthodox Muslim family. They met and fell in love on Facebook.

Despite the odds, Pramod, 36, and Meharunnisa, 30, registered their marriage recently

at his home at Poonjar in Kerala’s Kottayam district.

Meharunnisa says: “We healthy persons should fill with joy the lives of the physically

disabled ones.”

Pramod was a cable TV operator. In 2007, he fell into a small water body near his

house. The injuries left him paralysed below the waist. After doing the rounds at a

number of hospitals, he returned home in a wheelchair. In the meantime, Pramod’s

parents Mangattukunnel Balakrishnan and Saraswati were diagnosed with cancer.

Balakrishnan, a BSNL employee, died in 2013. Saraswati became the lone support for

Pramod. The family survived on a meagre pension.

Pramod said, “I would frequent social networking sites on my phone. I met

Meharunnisa on Facebook two years ago. At the outset, I told her about my condition

and other family matters, which should have made any woman keep away from me.’’

Meharunnisa said that as they became closer, she sought the opinion of friends. “Most

of them dissuaded me. They told me my life would be spoiled. But I always felt it

would be a great thing to contribute to the happiness of others. When Pramod spoke

about his mother’s disease, I decided I should step into their lives,’’ she said.

The two were married in May 2017. It was a simple ceremony at Pramod’s house. The

marriage was registered under the Special Marriage Act.

Muslim women blend yoga with Quranic recitation

A Vadodara-based foundation has found a unique way to promote yoga, especially

amongst Muslim women by blending it with Quranic recitation.

Around 50 Muslim women gathered to attend a yoga session that was organised by

the Tadbeer Foundation recently.

"Generally, women from our community stay away from doing yoga believing that

it belongs to a particular faith. But yoga is an age-old technique practiced since

thousands of years and it is not a legacy of any one religion. Through Islamic yoga

we are trying to blend the ancient practice with Islamic chanting," said Naasheta

Bhaisaheb of the foundation.

"Islamic yoga is totally a new concept in which Quranic recitation is blended with

yogic postures whereby physical benefits of yogic postures is enhanced by the

spiritual effect of recitation," she said.

The yoga session that was conducted by international yoga expert Shabanaben

Lalawala from Mumbai targeted common problems faced by women including back

pain, hip pain and osteoarthritis of knees apart from frozen shoulders.

"In this session, we focused on five 'asanas'. From next session onwards, we will be

focusing on problems related to diabetes, thyroid and so on," she added.

"I am a very good believer of Islam but there is a myth that only Hindus can practice

yoga. Since last four years I practice yoga for which I get private yoga practitioner. But

the Islamic yoga that we did on Sunday was meant for physical, mental as well as

spiritual upliftment and added more to what I was practising so far," said Fatema

Lokhandwala, 43, a masters in medical microbiology.

"I am practising yoga since last five years but Islamic yoga was a new concept for me.

There is a taboo because of which some don't practice yoga. Anybody can practise

yoga for its health benefits," said 41 year-old Shahina Chasmawalla, 41-year-old.

Hindu youth’s heart beats in Muslim man

Amit Hadpati (L), Sohail Vora

AHMEDABAD (Gujarat): The heart of a brain dead Hindu youth from Surat was

recently transplanted to a Muslim man at a private hospital in the city. Amit Hadpati,

a 21-year-old farm labourer from Surat, was declared brain dead by Surat Civil

Hospital. His heart, however, was successfully transplanted to 31-year-old Sohail

Vora, a Muslim teacher at a madrassa, in a surgery that lasted about five hours. Hadpati

following a road accident that caused severe brain injury. The family of poor farm

labourers, however, decided to donate his heart to Vora, a resident of Anand, who

suffered from heart failure. Dr Dhiren Shah, director and chief of heart transplant at

the hospital, said, "Vora had a pace-maker that had given him multiple shocks for

dangerously fast heart rates. He was in a bad condition and in urgent need for heart

transplant to save his life." Shah said, "The donor family was happy and willing to

donate the heart of their family member to save the life of another."

Amit's heart now beats in Sohail. Dr Shah said he had performed three such operations

and even his first operation was that of a Muslim's heart transplanted into a Hindu.

"The heart knows no boundaries. Sohail is now stable."

Bengal: Healing the wounds of communal clash

Heart-warming tales of communal harmony have started emerging from pockets of

Basirhat, in West Bengal, which found itself in the middle of a communal flare-up

recently. Muslims have offered to pay for the repair of damage caused to a village

temple even as Hindus of a nearby market have kept their shops shuttered in

solidarity with Muslim traders whose establishments have borne the wrath of mob

violence. And at Khanpara, a Muslim-majority neighbourhood in the heart of Basirhat,

members of both communities have come together to set up a resistance group after

seeing how mobs from outside tried to foment trouble in their locality.

"About 80% of Khanpara's 200-odd families are Muslims. So, when trouble erupted

on July 3, our primary concern was the insecurity that the neighbourhood's Hindu

families might feel. The first thing we did was to dispel this fear by calling a meeting

of club members, where youths from both communities gathered. We apportioned

responsibility among both Hindus and Muslims to verify and dispel the wild rumours

that were being floated," recounted Sk Aslam Hossain.

Initially, when trouble mongers ruled in the absence of adequate police force, there

were rumours that temples were being damaged by Muslims and mosques being set

ablaze by Hindus. "Every time we heard some disturbing news, we called up an

acquaintance living in the neighbourhood where the incident had allegedly occurred

and checked its veracity. Almost all the 'news' turned out to be fake. Rumours were

being deliberately spread to incite communal tension," Abhishek Pal said.

The Mayer Ichchhe Kali temple near Moyelakhola Mayer Bazaar in the adjoining

neighbourhood was one that was actually damaged. "When the Haji Saheb of Dargah

Sharif in Sonpukur learned about it, he immediately sent word that funds from the

dargah's corpus would be released for repairs," a villager said.

Hindus of a nearby market have returned this favour. Some shops owned by Muslims

were ransacked and torched during the mob frenzy. Peace has returned now but shops

owned by Hindus, too, remain shut as the owners have decided to restart business

only when the Muslim owners are able to reopen their shops after getting them

repaired.

The social activist group continues its vigil at Khanpara. Every night, 15 young men

— both Muslims and Hindus — walk shoulder to shoulder, guarding the locality so

that every household can sleep in peace. "It is peaceful now but we are wary of trouble

mongers who can cause mischief by attacking a household in the area. We will

continue to be on guard," said Mirza Ghalib, owner of a welding shop.

Social commentators say such home-grown initiatives can be much more effective

than mere administrative efforts at maintaining peace. "It is always much better when

this awareness comes from within," said Faruq Ahmed, editor of Udar Akash, a

magazine focusing on inter-communal relations.

West Bengal: Muslim neighbours help Hindu family carry body to

crematorium

A Hindu family at a remote village in West Bengal’s Nadia district had no money to

take the body of their father to the creamatorium for the last rites but their Muslim

neighbours came to their help.

Akali Sardar (80) of Palashipara Dhawapara village near Tehatta in Nadia district had

died. His family had no money to take the body to the burning ghat about 26 km away.

Around 210 families reside in Palashipara Dhawapara village, majority of them

Muslims. When the villagers heard the Sardar family’s problem, an announcement

was made over the loud speaker asking the people to help them. The Muslims

neighbours of Sardar family rushed to help them. They handed over money his two

sons Khakon and Swapan and to his wife Shanti. Not only that, they carried the body

to the burning ghat and waited till all the rituals were completed.

A local, Golam Hossain Seikh, said, “Akali and I had grown up together. The family

was in great distress due to lack of money. They were unable to take the body to

burning ghat. We helped them. Being neighbour, if we don’t stretch our hand, who

will do?”

Khakon, son of Akali said, “We had no money to take our father’s body to the burning

ghat. But our Muslim neighbours helped us to take the body to burning ghat at

Kaliganj Ramnagar in Nadia, about 26 km away.”

Shanti, wife of Akali, also expressed her gratitude to her Muslim neighbours. She said,

“Our Muslim neighbours rescued us from our problem. We will never forget the

help.”

Hearing the matter, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Tehatta 2, Abhijit

Chowdhury, congratulated the villagers for helping the family of Akali Sardar. The

BDO said, “The Muslims of the area have established an instance of communal

harmony.”

Hyderabad: Temple committee member cleans up Muslim Sufi shrine

for Bonalu

The Akkanna Madanna temple in Hyderabad’s Old City stands as an interesting

example of universal brotherhood and Hyderabad’s composite culture. The Bonalu

festivities are incomplete at the Akkanna Madanna temple if the temple committee

doesn’t make an offering at a small dargah or Muslim Sufi shrine located in front of the

historic temple. As a practice, the dargah is painted and lit up with fairy lights by the

temple authorities during Bonalu. The temple authorities also offer a chadar or sheet

at the dargah.

Temple committee joint secretary P. Kranti Kumar said, “We give the dargah a coat of

green paint when the temple is getting painted. During the 10-day Bonalu

celebrations, we offer a chadar. The dargah is located exactly opposite the temple, so

we take care of it. Occasionally, a Muslim woman comes and cleans up the place; rest

of the time we do it ourselves.”

The committee has asked its personnel who take care of the cleanliness of temple

premises to ensure that surroundings of the shrine are kept clean too. “They do it

regularly without fail. It is as much of a devotional duty for them to clean the dargah

as it is to clean the temple,” said Mr Kranti Kumar.

A couple of days ago home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy offered a chadar at the

shrine on behalf of the temple committee.

Had it not been for Muslims, we would have died: Saints injured in

Utkal Express derailment

MEERUT (UP): "I remember my head bumping into the seat in front of me, throwing

me at least two feet forward. I was in pain and could her screams from all directions.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for Muslims in the area who rushed to the spot and pulled

us out of the train's coach, we might not have survived," said Bhagwan Das Maharaj,

a saint with a saffron cloth tied around his neck. He was travelling with six other

ascetics who had boarded the Utkal Express from Morana in Madhya Pradesh and

were going to Haridwar to take a holy dip in Ganga.

"They brought us water, khaats and arranged for a private doctor for us. We will never

forget this gesture," he added. Three saints from the group were injured and were

rushed to Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial (LLRM) Medical College in Meerut for treatment.

"We believe in God and we saw His power soon after the accident. There are times

when people politicize Hindu-Muslim ties, but there has always been love between

the two communities," said Morni Das, another saint.

Soon after 14 coaches of Haridwar-bound Kalinga Utkal Express derailed near

Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar, government and private hospitals in Meerut were put on

alert and emergency wards were set up for the accident victims. "There were many

women and children in our coach. All of us were chit-chatting and suddenly our coach

overturned. Initially, we didn't realize what had happened," said another saint Hakim

Das.