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.

Read more: Communal Harmony