– M Rafi Ahmed
Taking a cue from the motto “Bonds are stronger than the barriers than separate us” of Divyodaya Inter-Religious Centre, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) members from Coimbatore Karumbukkadai neighbourhood gave a rousing reception to the devotees of Sri Sakthi Mariamman Temple during the Chithirai fest. Not unusual for the JIH to play host to communal harmony events in the city.
This gesture by JIH witnessed overwhelming response from spiritual heads drawn from different faiths besides the district administration and the Police Commissionerate as it brought people closer with each other shedding all barriers. In fact, JIH has been conducting a series of events to promote communal harmony by involving leaders from cutting communal lines on important occasions.
This time, the JIH members led by Tamil Nadu State secretary Abdul Hakkim honoured the temple executives with a shawl and offered buttermilk, water bottles to devotees during their padayatra towards their temple at Saramedu while crossing the Masjidul Huda at Karumbukkadai. The mosque executives were also present in large numbers at the event when temple executives also offered shawls to mosque executives as a token of affection.
Noteworthy to mention that Coimbatore Athar Jamaat mosque executives made it a point to offer water bottles, cool drinks and snacks to temple devotees during temple festivals when they crossed the mosque. This has become a regular feature more particularly during Koniamman temple car fest when it is pulled by the devotees wading through strategic locations in the city.
It may be recalled that Justice V Ramasubramanian, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of India inaugurated Unity India, a national forum to promote communal harmony at CPR Convention Centre in Chennai last February. Aimed at bringing Hindus and Muslims under a single fold through various initiatives involving people from both the communities.
The event was attended by prominent speakers, including Justice K Kannan (former judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court), Justice P N Prakash (former Judge of Madras High Court), Prof Faizan Mustafa (Vice Chancellor of Chanakya National Law University in Patna), N L Rajah (senior advocate), Irshad Mecca (associate from Islamic Forum for the promotion of moderate thought), and A Faizur Rahman (secretary general from Islamic Forum for the promotion of moderate thought).
[The author is a former Indian Express and Deccan Chronicle chief]
