Sikhs And Hindus In A Punjab Village Joined Hands To Build A Mosque Ahead Of Ramzan
In a shining instance
of communal harmony and the spirit of brotherhood, members of the Sikh and
Hindu communities came together to build a mosque for their Muslim brethren in
a village in Punjab.
A report in the Times Of India mentioned that in the village of Ghalib
Ran Singh Waal, which is dominated by Sikhs and Hindus, a mosque was
inaugurated just as the month of Ramzan is going to begin. Earlier, the Muslim
community had to visit nearby villages for their namaaz.
The TOI report quoted
Liaqat Ali, a resident of the village, as saying that their long cherished
demand has been fulfilled and that the beautiful Hazrat Abu Bakar mosque is an
Eid gift for them.
The village of Ghalib
Ran Singh Waal has a population of 1,300, out of which around 700 are Sikhs,
200 Hindus, and 150 are Muslims. The Muslims had mostly settled in the village
after the partition.
The Shahi Imam of
Punjab, Maulana Habib Ur Rehman Saani Ludhianvi, said that it is a big gesture
of brotherhood on part of the villagers. It was a long pending demand of the
local Muslim community which will now be able to pray in its own mosque, the
TOI report said.
Although the
resolution to construct the mosque was passed in 1998, it was only last year
that construction began with the help of the villagers. Village sarpanch
Jagdeep Kaur mentioned that her village is the epitome of communal harmony. She
also said that a temple is now being made with the combined efforts of the
villagers. The village also has a Nanaksar Gurdwara, where members of all the
faiths go to pay their respects.
Jaswinder Kumar, a
resident of Ghalib Ran Singh Waal, said that there had hardly been any instance
of communal violence in their village. Fellow resident, Om Kumar, added that
they wanted to tell those fighting in the name of religion that they should
instead work together. "Our village is a perfect example of how members
from various communities can come together in a peaceful manner, and respect
each other's faith," he said.