Moga gurdwara opens its doors for stone-laying ceremony of mosque
MOGA: In yet another example of communal harmony in Punjab, a gurdwara opened its doors for the foundation stonelaying ceremony of a mosque at Bhaloor village, 35 kilometres from the Moga district headquarters.
The function was to take place at the site of an old mosque that is being rebuilt, but it rained on Sunday. Consequently, the ceremony was shifted to the local gurdwara, and village sarpanch Pala Singh laid the foundation stone.
“There are just five Muslim families in the village and we are trying to rebuild the mosque. As it started raining, we immediately contacted the gurdwara committee and it welcomed us. It is a fine example of love and brotherhood,” said Kanwar Khan, 33, a local.
The sarpanch said all village residents took part in the ceremony and made donations to construct the mosque. Even tea and jalebis were served. “There used to be a mosque in the village, which had collapsed many years ago. We all wanted to rebuild it at the same site. Though the Muslims are in a minority in the village, we all live like a family,” he said.
Naib Shahi Imam Maulana Usman Rehmani Ludhianavi, a Muslim cleric, said: “This day will be written in golden letters in history. A true Sikh and a true Muslim will never harm anyone. Serving humanity and guarding the truth are actual teachings of our Gurus.”
Last week, a Sikh family had donated its ancestral land to build a mosque at the centre of a village in Punjab’s Malerkotla district. They took the step as around a dozen Muslim families residing in the village, Jitwal Kalan, had to go to neighbouring villages to offer prayers during Eid and other occasions.