By Arvind ChhabraBBC Punjabi, Chandigarh
India’s religious groups have so often clashed, with recent years marred by violence. But a remarkable gesture has helped foster a rare harmony in one village.
Construction of a Shiva Temple
As builder Nazim “Raja” Khan worked hard over the construction of a Shiva temple in a Punjab village, a thought worried him.
A Muslim is building a Hindu temple, yet there was no mosque nearby where he could worship.
“We had no place where we could offer namaz (prayers): ” says the 40-year-old. “It wasn’t nice for our relatives when they visited.”
It annoyed, so he raised it with the 400-strong Muslim community in his village of Moom, in rural north India. But they were too poor to afford the land.
A Hindu Donates Land for a Masjid
Most Muslims in the area do unskilled jobs, such as casual construction work, while the community’s 400 or so Hindus and some 4,000 Sikhs are relatively wealthy.
After about 18 months when the temple construction became near to complete, Raja took an unprecedented step.
He approached the temple administrators and told them: “You Hindus will soon have your new temple. And you already have an older one. But we Muslims have no place to worship, nor money to buy a land. Would you give us a small area of your land?”
A week later, he the answer; as the temple management decided to hand over nearly 900 sq ft (83 sq m) of vacant land next to their temple to build the mosque.
The initiative came from mason Nazim “Raja” Khan (pictured right)
“I was delighted:” says Raja. “I just couldn’t find the words to express my gratitude.”
Purshottam Lal, an Ayurvedic medicine practitioner who sits on the temple management panel, explains: “It was a very genuine demand. It was unfair that while we all share our joys and sorrows together, [the Muslims] didn’t have a mosque.”
Two months on, Raja and a few other builders and laborers were happily building a place where Muslims can worship.
The Sikh community is contributing funds for the mosque, which shares its wall with their Gurdwara, making for a rare example of communal harmony between the three religions.
Friendly Atmosphere between the Followers of Religions
In recent times, human rights groups have criticized the rise of atmosphere of fear and mistrust between Hindus and Muslims.
However, in Moom, it seems the three communities live in a friendly atmosphere. There’s no history of tension between them and people of all communities freely visit any place of worship.
Gurdwara for Hindus and Muslims
The village Moom is home to some 4,000 Sikhs, 400 Hindus and 400 Muslims. Most Hindus go to Gurdwaras and some of them wear the turbans usually worn by Sikhs. They also visit homes of the other communities to see their rituals and functions.
Gurdwara priest Giani Surjeet Singh says most functions – such as the Hindu holy recitation, Geeta path are held in the Sikh hall.
“People don’t see this place just as a Gurdwara but also that of a get-together point for their social functions.” he adds.
Bharat Ram, a teacher who is active in temple affairs, says: “We’re fortunate we haven’t had political leaders who could polarize us or create the divide between communities.
“There is a brotherhood among people in this village that we have had since ancient times, and it meant we quickly decided to give land for the mosque.”
The people of Pakistan and India would harbor no grudge with one another, were it not for politicians, he argues.
God is Everywhere
Raja with his Hindu friend Bharat Sharma, who argues saying: “God is everywhere.”
No one seems angry of the donations of land or funds. Indeed, many Hindus and Sikhs believe the mosque won’t just be for Muslims. “It’s for all villagers,” they say.
Can a Muslim Marry a Hindu or Sikh Girl?
This is really an important question, because integration has its limitations. If you ask them if they would like to see their sons and daughters marry into the other communities and the response is of shock.
The answer is: “Look, brotherhood is one thing. Sikhs and Muslims are different religions,” says Sikh panchayat (village council) member Chood Singh. “Such a thing can’t be accepted in our village.”
Bharat Sharma, a teacher and office bearer in the Hindu temple agrees: “This has neither happened in the past nor can it happen in the future.”
This is a common opinion in India, where even marriage between different castes within the Hindu religion can inflame strong family opposition.
But compared with other parts of India, such as West Bengal where communal tensions are high, this village in Punjab appears like paradise.
Source: This article has been taken from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43588435 with modifications.