The Spirit of Ramadan

In May this year, unidentified men vandalised the historic Gorakhnath Hindu temple in the city of Peshawar in north-west Pakistan. The attackers burnt pictures and damaged a shivling inside the temple and took away idols from the shrine.

In July, Al Qaida-linked Islamists in Timbuktu broke the door to a 15th-century mosque, defying calls to halt the destruction of holy sites in the UNESCO-listed city.

Last Tuesday, suspected gunmen belonging to the Islamist sect Boko Haram fired on a worship service in a church in central Nigeria, killing at least 19 people, including the pastor, and wounding others in a nation often divided by religion.

On the contrary, back home in India, home to the second largest Muslim population in the world, Muslims in Bihar’s Bhagalpur town not only helped build a Jain temple but one of them went to the extent of demolishing part of his own house to pave the way for the construction of the shrine.

Mohammad Janissar Akhtar tore down a portion of his house to enable the movement of a 70-foot long truck laden with a granite stone block, being carried to make a statue of Vaspulya Bhagwan at the Champapur Digambar Jain temple. Other Muslims helped widen the street so that the vehicle could reach the temple without much difficulty.

“In the month of Ramadan, when a Muslim is supposed to do rightful things, I decided to help my Jain brothers,” said Akhtar.
Early this year, some Muslims had helped in building a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Durga in Bihar’s Gaya district. Muslims not only donated money but were also involved in the construction of the temple.

Earlier, a Muslim, Mohammad Fakhrool Islam had donated his land for the construction of a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the Muslim-dominated Bachwara village of Begusarai district.

The practices of Ramadan are meant to purify oneself from thoughts and deeds which are counter to Islam. By removing material desires, one is able to focus fully on devotion and service to God. Many Muslims go beyond the ritual of fasting and attempt to purge themselves of impure thoughts and motivations such as hatred, anger, cursing, and greed. Charity, too, is important.
May this spirit of Ramadan guide ties with our fellow citizens.

The author is the director of the Global Foundation for
Civilizational Harmony (India)