Gaya mosque comes alive with Hindu caretakers
Hatia
(Gaya),
Sep
9:
Setting
an
example
of
Hindu
and
Muslim
amity
that
exits
in
many
parts
of
the
country,
Hindu
families
in
Gaya
village
take
care
of
their
village
mosque
with
full
respect,
even
when
the
place
is
devoid
of
any
Muslim.
Located
in
Hatia
Village
near
Sherghati
in
Bihar"s
Gaya
District,
the
barren
mosque
happens
to
be
the
only
mosque
in
Hatia,
a
Hindu
dominated
village.
The
mosque
was
in
ruins
for
long.
Disappointed
to
notice
dilapidated
state
of
the
mosque,
a
few
Hindu
families
under
the
guidance
of
Kishori
Singh,
65,
took
initiative
and
had
the
mosque
repaired.
The noble gesture of Hindu brethrens has motivated the Muslims, residing in neighbouring villages to visit the mosque for their daily Namaaz (prayers).
"We are thankful to Kishori Singh who got the mosque repaired. It was in a bad condition, as its walls had cracked. It had no gate. There was water-logging inside. Today, the place is in a better condition and, hopefully, it will be further repaired," said Sarfaraz Ahmed, a Muslim devotee from a nearby village.
Kishori Singh, however, believes the residents in his Hatia Village have great faith in the mosque since it is a place of worship and the Supreme Lord is same no matter we address Him as “Allah" or “Bhagwan".
Kishori said: "We, the residents of Hatia, go to many mosques. For us, both temple and mosque are equally revered places."
“It is shameful that people fight in the name of religion and caste. In our area, everyone lives in complete harmony. For us, God is one," said Ravi Ranjan, another villager.
In India, Islam is the second-most practiced religion after Hinduism.
There are approximately 174 million Muslims in India or 16.4 per cent of the total population. The county has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia.
ANI
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