We speak of the lives of just 44 million inter-state migrant workers who come from their towns and villages so that the metropolitan can run 24×7.
In Mumbai, which was a centre of the migrant crisis, owing to its large population of migrant workers (roughly 40% of the total population), the migrant workers’ problem had hit catastrophically. Despite a strict lockdown, some masjids in Mumbai took on the task of feeding thousands of these people who were suffering.
Image with caption: Credit: The Express Tribune, April 14, 2020
The motto was, “No one should go to sleep hungry”. However, this humanitarian upsurge in Mosques did not stay limited to the boundaries of Mumbai.
With a strict lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus threatening jobs in India, a mosque in Mumbai served meals to 800 labourers who had lost their livelihoods. The lockdown affected the lives of 300 million Indians living below the poverty line.
Reference: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2198070/mosque-mumbai-distributes-free-meals-labourers-amid-covid-19-lockdown
Covid care Centres, Public Education regarding Covid-19, Social distancing, Vaccines:
Mosques and loudspeakers became a sizeable Educational endeavour during COVID-19; announcements and awareness were carried out through the masjid during the lockdown. Masjid and the Juma sermons also served as educational endeavours for post-COVID vaccination.
Mosques turned into CovidCare Centres, one such example is Masjid Mohammadia in Hyderabad which was turned into Covid Isolation centre.
Image with caption: Video Link: https://youtu.be/SEIeZW7OnKI?si=nnMCFTzwYbvmTHAb
Food and Basic amenities distribution Centres for the masses:
Community Kitchens: The concept started with the Islamic practice of feeding people experiencing poverty. Arrangements for travellers, such as food and stay, have been integral to Islamic teachings. One of the Articles of Spending has explicitly been prescribed by the Quran for travellers. Quran [2:177]. Stemming from these core teachings evolved the system of Stay and Hospitality, free for the same. The Community Kitchens in Mosques and Dargah are an example of this.
Rana Safvi writes in her latest book, In Search of the Divine, In fact, the first langarkhanas to be established were the ones in the dargahs, before they were adopted by Guru Nanak and Sikh gurdwaras. Today, the Sikh community is famous for its langars (free meals), and they are the first to provide aid in any humanitarian crisis. Islam and Mosques have inspired the culture of community kitchens in other faiths. Langarkhana, as they call it in Sikhism, has taken its inspiration from Mosques.
According to Professor HarbansMukhia:“If Guru Nanak Dev’s new religion of Sikhism brought forth the message of social harmony in the midst of social tensions, it acquired immense power as it incorporated other similar messages of his time, those emanating from great Sufis like Baba Farid and Sants like Kabir. From Baba Farid he also inherited the marvellous institution of langar, signifying both selfless service and social equality.”
Modern example of the past legacy: Masjid and Gurudwara join hands: Masjid and Gurudwara came together to feed workers starved by Covid-19 lockdown. A unique blend that can been seen only in India, rooted in the legacy of centuries long religious traditions we have as an Indian society. The story was covered by The Caravan magazine, April 2020.
Reference: https://caravanmagazine.in/religion/in-delhi-masjid-and-gurdwara-come-together-to-feed-workers-starved-by-covid19-lockdown#
Such examples also bust the myths that Masajid are only for Muslims and no other is allowed to enter. They are spaces and houses of the CREATOR, open to one and all.
Muslim charities and other voluntary organisations were helping the poor in India during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. But soup kitchens and charity groups came to their rescue. Apart from various organisations in India, Muslim charity groups and individuals, in their capacity, were trying to ensure these people do not go to bed hungry.
Most importantly, the distribution and catering were organised through the Masajid. In many places, with the help of local administration, these masjids ran as temporary stay and shelter facilities for the migrant labourers. From here, the labourers were transported to their respective states with the help of locals and administration.
Many NGOs have worked through the length and breadth of India. The Humanitarian Relief Society is involved in relief operations during the lockdown in various districts in the southern state of Karnataka. Its general secretary, Mohammed Makakada said they had distributed $200,000 worth of food items to people experiencing poverty. “We give food kits to the poor. Each kit contains food items worth around $16 (1,200 rupees). These were given to poor people and migrant workers from other states.”
The Amoomat Society, another charity based in Hyderabad, in the southern state of Telangana, distributed cooked food to around 200 people daily. Most of them were migrant workers from different states in India who got stuck in Hyderabad due to the sudden lockdown, said the group’s general secretary Khalida Parveen.
[https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/muslim-charities-aid-needy-in-india-amid-covid-19/1806934]