Article 370: Muslims invite Hindus to mosques in Chandrapur to counter social media messages

The message was posted by a city-based lawyer in a WhatsApp group. Upset, Farhat Baig, a member of the group, decided to invite the Hindu community to the city’s Chhoti Masjid on September 5.

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The next mosque visit will be held at the Jama Masjid next month. (Source: File Photo)

Upset over a social media post alleging that after Article 370 was scrapped large quantities of arms were recovered from several mosques in the Kashmir Valley, the Muslim community here has invited Hindus to visit mosques in a bid to counter messages trying to create a rift between the communities.

The message was posted by a city-based lawyer in a WhatsApp group. Upset, Farhat Baig, a member of the group, decided to invite the Hindu community to the city’s Chhoti Masjid on September 5. “I was sad to see this post from a young lawyer, who is otherwise a very nice person. I asked him why he was trying to create misgivings about the Muslim community by posting such messages. I then met the city’s prominent religious leaders and we decided to invite all non-Muslims to Chhoti Masjid to see how the mosque functions,” Baig told The Indian Express.

“The lawyer, who posted it, called me to say sorry. I told him it was alright but he should come to the mosque and see things for himself. He said he would definitely come,” Baig said.

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Baig, who is a founder-member of the local Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation, spoke to prominent members of the Muslim community, including the Imam of Choti Masjid Mufti Waliulallah and Jama Masjid president Mirza Salim Baig. He urged them to open mosques to non-Muslims for them to see how they function. “The two leaders were more than happy to do that. So, we have fixed the programme at 4 pm on September 5. They will be free to participate in Namaz too. We will offer them tea and snacks,” Baig said.

Ever since Baig announced the idea at a press conference recently, his phone hasn’t stopped ringing. “Several people are calling to congratulate me. They are saying they will definitely attend the programme,” he said.

The next mosque visit will be held at the Jama Masjid next month. Mirza Baig said, “There are a lot of misconceptions about Islam among non-Muslims. But I wish to tell them it’s as much a religion of brotherhood as theirs. God is one for all, only the ways to reach Him are different. We should always be focused on reaching Him. That’s our manzil (goal)…”

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