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Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslims construct Shiva temple
Chhath Festival, Bihar
BIHAR: Muslims have been quietly helping Hindus construct a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, ahead of the Chhath festival. “Muslims are not only donating money for temple construction, they are also actively involved in ensuring that it should come up soon,” said Rajkishore Raut, president of the Shiva Temple Construction Committee.
As Charminar and the Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting the 400-year-old monument get so much attention, these instances of collaboration between the two communities in temple construction cannot be ignored.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: celebrating Teej and Ramadan together
iftar/prasad
JAIPUR: The festivals of Teej and the first of the Ramzan coincided with each other after a gap of thirty years and saw people from the Hindu and Muslim communities celebrating the festivals with much love and peace in Jaipur. In Jaipur the festivals of Teej and the first day of Ramzan coincided after three decades. At many places Muslims showered rose and petals on Teej procession when it passed through Muslim-majority areas. Reciprocating in the same spirit, many Hindus chose to enjoy the special sweet dishes ‘kheer’, ‘halwa-parantha’ and ‘malai’ with bread during Iftaar.
Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslims participate in yearly Hindu yatra
Muslim families offering prayers at Jagannath parade
AHMEDABAD: Every year Ahmedabad’s Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra passes through Muslim dominated areas of Jamalpur, Dariyapur, Shahpur and Kalupur. In past, the Police used to put ‘Janata curfew’ in practice in Muslim areas with cooperation of local peace committee members. Under this mechanism, the Muslims used to observe self imposed curfew during the passing of Rath Yatra in their area. This means, the Muslims would not come out of their homes during the time of Rath Yatra. Police with help of local Muslim leaders continued this practice for several years.
Hindus offering prasad (blessed food) to Muslims, Muslims offering flower garlands to Hindus
However for last two-three years, Janata curfew has stopped. The Muslims now come out of their homes and line up to see the Rath Yatra on both sides of the roads. The children enjoy it most. The photographs present a beautiful picture of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. The Muslims are extending their hands for ‘prashad’ of Bhagwan Jagannath from a decorated motor truck of Rath Yatra procession.
When in Muslim dominated Dariapur area, one of the Raths was facing some problem in its wheel mechanism, the local Muslims rushed there to offer help on their own. They brought needed instruments and tools. Both Hindus and Muslims together repaired the Rath. Though it was an act of symbolic expression, it meant lot to Rath Yatris, when such act came from local Muslims. They released doves in sky to give a message of peace during Rath Yatra.
Read and see more photos: Communal Harmony
Hindu Muslim Unity: Religious leaders meet in Texas for interfaith discussion
leaders of Baptist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Mormon faiths discuss religious tolerance
In an effort to promote peace and tolerance, leaders from different religious backgrounds met in Midland on Wednesday night for an interfaith discussion. St. Nicholas’ Episcopal Church played host to leaders of the Baptist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Mormon faiths, and more than a hundred listeners.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslim scholar says Quran and Gita compliment each other
Gita and the Quran are complementary to each other and several principles laid down in both the sacred books are surprisingly similar, noted Sanskrit scholar Dr Mohd Hanif Khan Shastri has said. Dr Shastri is a Sanskrit scholar who has authored several books including Geeta aur Quran mein Samanyasya, Ved aur Quran se Mahamantra and Gayatri aur Surah Fatiha.
Asserting that Islam was no different from Sanatana Dharma, he pointed out that while Koran highlighted the importance of ‘Roza’ or fasting in leading a pious and virtuous life, the Gita in the Shlokas 59-62 of Part 2 elaborated the way and importance of Vrat (religious fasting). In Patanjali’s Yoga Darshan the importance and process of Namaz or offering prayers to the Almighty has been thoroughly elaborated. “While Koran emphasized on the importance of Namaz, the Gita in Chapter eight explained the spirit in which it is to be done, Dr Khan said.
“What is Panchkarma (Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Aprigraha and Brahmacharya) in Jain, Buddhist and Yam in Hindu tradition is Hukukul Ibaad or Hukukul Naass (The right of humans) in Koran. And the five Niyam (Shauch, Santosh, Tap etc) are Hukukul Allah (the rights of the God) in Islam,” argued Khan. He further said that it is very easy to find the differences as all the humans dead and alive have their different fingerprints but difficult to find similarities which can be done only by following the path shown by our sages and great souls.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: paying tribute at mausoleum
MADHYA PRADESH: Madhya Pradesh exhibits a diversity of cultures and the bond that exists between people of different faiths. One such example comes from the mausoleum of Sultan-e-Malva, situated in Raisen district , about 55 kilometers from Bhopal. It attracts devotees belonging to different faiths, not only from the state but also from different parts of the country and from across the world. Sultan-e-Malwa was the maternal nephew of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
Muhammad Zakir, a shop owner near the Darhah told ANI, “People of different religions, be it Hindus or Muslims come here. All the devotees are guests of baba and thus they are our guests too. We serve them. They buy flowers, holy chadars and prasad from us.”
Hindu Muslim Unity: Madrasa teaches class on Gita and Quran
VARANASI: Holding the Quran in one hand and the Bhagavad Gita in the other, Mukhtar Ahmad conducts “a class of communal harmony” at a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district to enable students to draw similarities between Islam and Hinduism. “Our main objective behind teaching Hindu scriptures along with the Quran is to undertake a comparative study of the holy books of the two religions to enable our students to draw similarity between Islam and Hinduism,” Ahmad, a teacher at the Islamic seminary, said. “By drawing similarity between the two religions, students will be able to correlate the teachings of Quran with those of the Bhagavad Gita and other Hindu ancient text, which in turn would enable them to respect the two religions in the same manner,” he added.
Today, not only the Bhagavad Gita, the four Vedas – Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva – are taught to the students along with subjects like Hindi, English and Computer Science. “…the introduction of Hindu scriptures in the syllabi has been considerably appreciated by our Hindu brothers. We believe we would soon have Hindu students seeking admission in Bahrul-Uloom,” he added.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Hindu paints Quran verses
Hindu painter of Quran verses
HYDERABAD: Anil Kumar Chowhan, an artist by profession, has been offering his services to paint Koranic verses and supplications in mosques for more than a decade. While the sanctity of temples and mosques in Hyderabad was violated, he carried out his job with single-minded devotion.
In the last decade-and-a-half, Mr. Chowhan has done calligraphic work in almost 100 mosques in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and nearby districts. A huge frame containing ‘Sura Yaseen’, the 36 chapter of Koran, written by him, adorns the Jamia Nizamia. He has painted the 99 names of Allah and the Prophet as well. Interestingly, he doesn’t charge anything. But if people do offer something, then he accepts it.
Read more: Communal Harmony
Read similar story: Muslim artist designs for Krishna temples
Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslims help construct Jain temple during Ramadan
Jainism, like Buddhism and Sikhism, is a separate religion from Hinduism, but this article is being shared in the spirit of interfaith harmony.
Mahavira, founder of Jainism
BIHAR: Muslims in Bihar’s Bhagalpur town not only helped build a Jain temple but one of them went to the extent of demolishing part of his own house to pave the way for the construction of the shrine.
“In the month of Ramadan, when a Muslim is supposed to do rightful things, I decided to help my Jain brothers,” said Akhtar. Early this year, some Muslims had helped in building a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Durga in Bihar’s Gaya district. Muslims not only donated money but were also involved in the construction of the temple.Earlier, a Muslim had donated his land for a temple dedicated to god Shiva in Begusarai district. Mohammad Fakhrool Islam had given land for it in Muslim-dominated Bachwara village. Over three decades ago, in the same village some Hindus had donated a piece of land for the construction of a mazar (a place where a saint is buried).
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslims construct Durga temple
BIHAR: Muslims have helped build a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Durga in Bihar’s Gaya district, not just by making donations but also by supervising its construction. “There was active help from Muslims, all of whom are railway employees. This temple is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity as both joined hands to construct it”, said Ashok Kumar, another resident.
Muslims personally donated and collected funds worth nearly Rs. five lakh, locals said. Mohammad Sahab said dozens of Muslims donated money and others helped by doing other works for the construction. Muslims make up around 16 per cent of the 105 million population of Bihar. In Gaya town, there are over a dozen Muslim localities. Over three decades ago, some Hindus had donated a piece of land for the construction of a mazar in the same village.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: feasting together on Diwali and Eid
KASHMIR: Kashmiri Pandits to invite their Muslim brethren to feast with them during this and other major Hindu festivals. Likewise, Muslims entertain their Hindu neighbours during their festivals, especially on Eid.
“We organised Eid and Diwali Milan on the same day to give a message to the outside world that we are still together and we will be together, no matter what,” Tickoo told Khabar. “Our Muslim friends and neighbours visit our homes and we celebrate the festival together. During Eid, we too visit our neighbours and share the food together.” Srinagar resident Shaban Mohammad told Khabar that local Muslims take part in every non-Muslim festival. “We have political uncertainty in Kashmir, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t take part in the non-Muslim festivals. Every year, I visit homes of Kashmiri Pandits and even Sikhs during their festivals,” he said.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslims mosque donates land to construct Hindu temple
Mallapuram, Kerala
MALAPURRAM: A Muslim mosque committee and a Muslim family member have provided their land to reconstruct a 3000 year old temple just 50 meters away from a mosque. The proposal originated when the debris of an old Gowri Sankara temple, which was destroyed years ago, were recovered from a land near to the half-a-century old Hidhayathul Islam Secondary Madrasa a few weeks ago.
One of the temple committee members, Dasan Kottaykulam, said: “All the members from the Hindu community are happy for the kind consideration shown by the Muslim community.” For the past 300 years, no worship has taken place at the temple, which is in a dilapidated condition. Now, the mosque authorities have handed over the land to us and we will soon start the reconstruction and modification work, Dasan added. Villagers can now listen to the prayer calls from the mosque and chanting of Vedas from the temple at the same time during the holy month of Ramzan.
Hindu Muslim Unity: Hindus donate land for mosque, Muslims reconstruct temple
ASSAM: Hindus in Mornoikinar donated an 800 sq ft plot for a mosque. In adjoining Amguri, Muslims reciprocated by taking up a project to reconstruct a 73-year-old Vaishnavite prayer hall for their neighbours in Raang Chalihagaon, a hamlet of 12 Hindu families.
The gesture is all the more remarkable, since over the last fortnight, vandals destroyed a Kali temple in Dhubri town and damaged 20-odd idols of Vishwakarma in Bongaigaon district’s Jogighopa. The crumbling Namghar, a community prayer hall conceptualised by 15th century saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, was established in 1939. On Sunday, Muslim leaders of the village, led by cleric Abidur Rahman, laid its foundation stone.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: retired Muslim archaeologists protects ancient temples
5’2″ KK Muhammed takes bandits & mining corporation to protect historical temples
K. K. Muhammed’s job, as Director of Archaeological Survey of India is over. But he still has a lot of work to do, even after retirement. Talking about the challenging task of rescuing a 1300-year-old temple firstly from the dreaded dacoits of Chambal and then the mining mafia. “The objective of these talks is that there are 200 temples out of which only 80 temples have been completed. Forty are half done so there is still lot of work left to be done. The mining is going on there. ” One SP was killed at that site and while he was working there, once the collector and the SP were shot at but escaped.
It’s interesting how he convinced the dacoits (bandits) to leave the temple premises and allow for restoration work to happen. Without any security, Muhammed had to negotiate directly with the dacoits and one day when he walked into the temple, he found somebody smoking a bidi. Muhammed didn’t know that the smoker was the infamous dacoit Nirbhay Singh Gujjar . When he found out, he engaged him in a discussion. “I told him that these precious idols would have also vanished like so many if he had not been around. And then I told him of his lineage, which he had no idea about— that he belonged to the Pratihara dynasty that had once ruled that region.”
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Kashmir temple and mosque stand side by side
Trehgam Muslims pose on the steps of Shiv Temple. They are among those who helped protect the temple during two decades of violence in Kashmir
TREHGAM: Azaan (the call to prayer) in Jamia Masjid Trehgam and the chiming of bells in Shiv Temple often sound concurrently in north Kashmir’s Trehgam village, 115km northwest of Srinagar. And the two shrines share something else in common. They’re neighbours, both situated on the banks of a pond known as “Shiv Nag”. Followers of both faiths — Hindus and Muslims – view the pond as sacred for its curative waters.
Though the village witnessed numerous violent incidents over two decades – caused mostly by stone-throwing protestors – Muslims protected the temple as much as they did the mosque. “We are able to worship in the temple after two decades only because of Muslims, who protected it from miscreants all these years,” Sunil Kumar, a teacher and member of the Pandit community, told Khabar. “Muslims never differentiated between the temple and the mosque.”
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Hindu businessman to build mosque and church in Kerala
Former President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam and philanthropist C.K.Menon
Qatar-based Hindu businessman is building a mosque in India’s Kerala state with the aim of promoting communal harmony. According to CK Menon, the mosque in Kozhikode will be the first to be built in the state by a Hindu in over 1,200 years. So far the Cheraman Mosque, constructed in the late eighth century by Chera ruler Rama Varma Kulashekhara, is the first and only mosque built by any Hindu in Kerala, he said. Menon said he plans to build a church in Kerala. “Once the mosque is ready, I will start work on the church. We have already identified the land but final decision is not taken yet,” he said.
Menon, whose company operates in 13 countries, mainly in the Middle East, emphasised the need to promote the culture of philanthropy in India. “Some people are already doing that, but a lot more needs to be done. Businesses are making money because of the common people. Every businessperson must give back to society a certain proportion of their earnings,” Menon said, adding he spends nearly 3% of his earnings on philanthropic activities.
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Read more about charity (dana & zakat) in Hinduism and Islam here
Hindu Muslim Unity: Hindu temple constructs home for Muslim woman
Jameela, in front of newly constructed house
KERALA: When fifty-two-year-old Jameela, a deaf-mute Muslim woman, receives the key of her newly-constructed house from the Kandamangalam temple administration committee on Monday, the moment will be a testimony to the harmony inherent among us, that has been seriously threatened in recent times.
The relationship between Jameela and the temple started at the beginning of 2000 when Jameela, an orphan, was noticed by the temple committee. She was battling poverty, further impeded by her inability to speak and hear. The Kannmangalam temple took Jameela under their wing and ‘adopted’ her.
With the help of donations from devotees, the temple has constructed a small house with specially crafted designs made by skilled artisans from Cherthala. According to the Secretary, the temple has spent at least Rs 2 lakh on this. “Despite being deaf-mute, Jameela has now become an epitome of religious integration,” he says, adding that she is free to follow whichever religion she wishes.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: mass marriage of interfaith couples
facebook.com/dharmadeen
RAJKOT: The mass marriage of 81 couples from Hindu and Muslim communities in Junagadh on Sunday was a unique occasion to be cherished. Over the years, this initiative has helped the two communities to narrow down their differences, and is a great example of communal harmony in Saurashtra.
Purohit said “We have been organising these mass marriages for the past five years. Every year, about 90 couples participate in this programme, which is a great example of communal harmony. Last year, the scion of former Nawab of Junagadh sent us a letter from Karachi congratulating us for keeping the princely state’s culture alive.”
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Hindu Muslim Unity: road name shared by Hindu and Muslim lawyers
a street in Alwarpet was named after legal giants of the Hindu and Muslim faiths K. Bhashyam Iyengar and Basheer Ahmed Sayeed
CHENNAI: Bashyam Basheer Ahmed Street, for its Vaishnavite-Muslim name combination, the explanation is simple — it commemorates two men — K. Bhashyam Iyengar and Basheer Ahmed Sayeed. Both were giants of the legal field.
Bhashyam enrolled as an advocate in 1906. But it is his services to social causes that earned him immortality. Active in the freedom struggle he was beaten by the police and also sentenced. He took to representing in court, people charged for participating in the independence movement. He died in 1959.
Basheer Ahmed enrolled in the High Court in 1925. An expert in languages and also Islamic law, he rose quickly in practice and was later made a judge of the Madras High Court. Like Bhashyam, he too was actively involved in social causes, one of the prime beneficiaries being the Music Academy. Justice Basheer Ahmed, in 1951, set up the Southern India Education Trust along with a few other prominent Muslims of Madras.
When the surrounding area was developed in the 1940s, roads were laid and one connected Sadr Gardens to Mowbrays Road. In an inspired moment, it was decided to name it after both men and so we have it, Bashyam Basheer Ahmed Street.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslims host Hindu garba at Christian College
AHMEDABAD: Youths are dancing merrily to the tunes of garba beats, children playing with empty water bottles and people of all ages and walks of life watching the gaiety. One can see nuns taking rounds of the garba venue playing perfect hosts. Yet, few know the man behind this garba event at this Christian college campus.
Naved Siddiqui has been organising the Navratri fest at St Xavier’s College for 20 years now. A Hindu festival, Muslim organiser and a Christian institute as venue. So what is it that keeps Siddiqui organising garbas every year? “I have been brought up in a very culturally accepting environment. My father was a psychology professor at St Xavier’s College. The campus gave me a chance to meet people from all walks of life. I love seeing people dance and their faces light up with smiles once the music starts.”
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Arab Muslims sing bhajans in India
A very interesting video of Middle Eastern Muslims singing Islamic songs alongside Sanskrit bhajans in India at the Sai Baba temple. Also includes narration on what it means to be Muslim and loving God.
Watch full video here
