Abdul Bari Masoud presents example after example of intercommunal unity and camaraderie taking place in Punjab, where Sikhs and Hindus are helping Muslims restore abandoned or in-adverse-possession mosques or construct new mosques.
Punjab is serving as an example of intercommunal unity and camaraderie at a time when many regions of the country – particularly those that have been governed by the BJP – have been plagued by communal tension and animosity. In Punjab, which was rife with communal fervour during the period of Partition, Sikhs and Hindus are helping Muslims restore abandoned or unlawfully possessed mosques, in contrast to Hindutva forces’ attacks on mosques and churches in the rest of the country. As news of an old mosque being restored or a new mosque being built by Sikh and Hindu brethren and given to Muslims is reported from Punjab every other day.
Take the latest example of Punjab’s Muktsar district. A mosque was constructed at Khanan Khurd village by Sikhs and Hindus for Muslims living there, which reinforces this camaraderie phenomenon that started after the province experienced militancy in the 1980s.
The village’s Sikhs and Hindus raised money for the mosque’s construction. They provided funds and building supplies to help five Muslim households in the area establish a place of worship. The mosque’s opening ceremony was attended by every villager. Muslim families offered their first prayers at the newly constructed mosque as others watched them.
It should be mentioned that although the Punjab Waqf Board had provided a modest plot of land for the mosque’s construction in the village, the five families found it difficult to acquire the necessary funds.
When he visited the village, Punjab’s Shahi Imam Mohammad Usman Rahmani expressed appreciation for the kindness shown by the village’s non-Muslim residents to their Muslim neighbours.
Khanan Khurd resident Mahendra Singh claimed that Muslims were unable to construct a mosque on their own. He said that watching the Muslims performing the first Salatin the mosque was ecstatic.
Another instance of this was recorded in the village of Machike in the Moga district, where an old mosque had been demolished to make room for a roadway and was later restored with funding from Hindus and Sikhs.
In Barnala district’s KutbaBahmania village, a mosque was rebuilt by the Sikh community after being abandoned during the Partition in 1947. The Sikh community handed it over to the Muslims in the area.
The pre-Independence mosque was renovated by Sikhs from this village by pooling their resources. The mosque has been closed for the last 76 years. Its building shares boundaries with a gurudwara. It was a historical place, and during the Partition, most of the Muslims from here moved to Pakistan.
Local resident Mohammad Aslam claimed that after Partition, there were hardly any Muslims in the neighbourhood, leading to the mosque’s closure and abandonment. A few Muslim families have since moved to this village, and they have spoken with the gurudwara management committee about reopening of the mosque.
He noted, “I thank the locals who have provided an example of intercommunal cooperation. The mosque shares boundaries with the gurudwara, and we are pleased that all the villagers have banded together to restore the mosque, according to Charanjit Singh, a villager who participated in the reconstruction.
An elderly villager, Swaran Singh, said that the mosque has never been attacked by other communities since the Partition. By restoring the mosque, the people, according to him, have promoted intercommunal harmony.
Village Sarpanch Buta Singh claimed that both communities coexist in this village. They made the decision to repair the mosque because of its outdated and crumbling structure. For this purpose, money was raised. Every villager helped with the repairs. Muslims were given control of the restored mosque, Buta Singh said.
In Bhoolar village, Moga district, a new mosque was built. The village has seven gurdwaras and two temples, but no mosque.
“There was a mosque before Partition in 1947, but its structure turned to ruins with time. We have four Muslim families in the village that chose to stay back,” said the village sarpanch, Pala Singh, as reported by The Indian Express.
Since then, not only have they all coexisted peacefully, but also the other two communities recently donated money – between 100 and one lakh rupees – to help build a mosque for the four Muslim families. The sarpanch said that the Punjab Waqf Board members also contributed.
“We are very happy that a mosque will be our tenth place of worship,” Singh added.
In yet another act of compassion, a Sikh family in the Barnala district donated land for a mosque. The village of Bakhtgarh is now constructing its first mosque. Amandeep Singh, a resident of the village who donated 250 square yards of his field, said this was being done to help the Muslim families, who have to travel five kilometres to pray.
Under the name Noorani Masjid, he has the land registered with the Tehsildar’s office. Hindus and Sikhs have also contributed to the construction’s cost of `12 lakh.
The village does not have a mosque, but it does have two gurdwaras and a dera. According to Singh, reported by The Times of India, “Its Muslim families travel to the nearby village for prayers, so my family gave them land for a mosque and will also contribute to its construction.”
The project manager, Moti Khan, stated, “We owe the Sikh family and many others who have supported us. We ask for a similar brotherhood elsewhere for societal harmony.”
It is refreshing to see the two communities come together and do whatever they can to provide a secure space for Muslims to pray.
This happened in the Barnala district’s Moom village, which is close to Ludhiana. Brahmins and Sikhs have joined hands to build a mosque for their Muslim neighbours.
Sikhs make up the majority of the 4,000 residents of the 300-year-old village, while the numbers of the Muslim and Hindu population are 400 each.
The Sikhs have supplied the money needed to build the mosque, while the Brahmins have donated the land on which the mosque was built.
Besides, Sikhs and Hindus also took care of abandoned mosques after Muslims left this part of Punjab at the time of Partition. It said that religion is not something that divides people. For example, in Hedon Bet village near Ludhiana, 54-year-old Sikh Prem Singh has been taking care of the century-old mosque.
“This isn’t the only such mosque in Punjab. Across the state, several mosques are being taken care of by Hindus and Sikhs,” said Tayyeb Hasan Falahi, who is retired as the education and development officer of the Punjab Waqf Board.
The Punjab Waqf Board has also played an important role in the restoration of Muslim places of worship since its inception, when it was earlier a combined board of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh. TayyebFalahi was also deeply involved in the drive for restoration and had visited every corner of Punjab. Speaking with Radiance, he said in the last couple of decades, the Punjab countryside has presented such communal harmony models as hundreds of abandoned or in-adverse-possession mosques were restored and renovated with the help of Sikhs and Hindus.
“Before 1990, the Waqf Board was issuing licences to individuals to keep the mosques and dargahs across Punjab functional. But a fatwa was issued, saying that licences could not be given to run mosques. After that, hundreds of mosques became abandoned overnight,” said Falahi.
The Waqf lists over a thousand mosques and 61 dargahs on its land across the state.
“At the moment, many of these mosques are not under the Waqf Board’s supervision. These are taken care of by Muslim families, if there are any, in the village,” he said.
Unfortunately, he said, other mosques have been usurped, and in some cases, the people use them as stables or storage facilities.
He claimed that the Punjab Waqf Board had carried out a survey that identified 200 to 250 mosques that required repair and that a sum of `5 crore had also been set aside, but the project fizzled out because the then-administrator Shaukat Ahmad Tare was transferred.
There is a very cordial atmosphere prevailing in the state because of this; new mosques are being built and old ones are being restored, the former Punjab Waqf official said.
Abdus Shakoor, a former leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Punjab, echoed similar comments when he stated that Muslims in the state, who make up about 2% of the overall population, had overcome their fear mentality, especially the generation born after the Partition, which has no longer experienced any fears.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Punjab took on the task as a mission and has developed positive relationships with the state’s Sikh and Hindu communities, Abdus Shakoor told Radiance.
After the Partition, at many places, Qadianis became active and built mosques for Muslims, but we chased them and built new mosques, he said, adding that Tablighi Jamaat also played a role in religious awareness among the Muslim populace here.
It is to be noted that the Qadianis have their headquarters in Qadian town in Pathankot district of Punjab, and they run all their worldwide activities from here.
The state of Punjab and its residents have undoubtedly set an example for the rest of India by constructing and restoring mosques, especially in light of the Hindutva radicals’ attempts to poison the social ambiance by claiming that certain old mosques were constructed after destroying temples.These elements have become so Islamophobic that even if someone offers prayer at his own office or home, they lodge police complaint!