On Eid al-Adha (Bakri Eid), in a moving gesture of solidarity, a temple in the Thrissur district of Kerala gave space to several Muslims so that they could offer their Eid Namaz in its premises.
Thrissur has been severely hit by flood waters and a number of buildings in the district are submerged.
On Wednesday, as the devotees were trying to offer their prayers at the Kochukadavu Juma Masjid, they realised that it was still submerged in flood waters.
Speaking to the Times of India, PA Khalid, the president of the Masjid Mahallu Committee said,
“We were hoping that the water will recede by Wednesday and we will be able to offer the Eid prayers at the Masjid itself.
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However, two days back itself we realised that this might not be possible. When we discussed the issue with the temple office-bearers, they immediately offered their hall for the prayers.”
Speaking to Indiatimes, an official of the Purappillikavu Rakteshwari Temple, said, “We are all humans first. Not just in the face of such a tragedy, we should always remember that we are all the children of one God. I hope to see such harmony prevail in the coming days too, where we can work together on relief and offering help to people still in need.”
The Kerala floods have caused widespread devastation, but have also brought out the best in people.
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Several mosques, temples and churches have opened their doors to victims and have functioned as temporary relief camps.
Even this simple act, speaks volumes of how religious and communal barriers are shattered during such challenging times.
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“Now, when the losses are counted and the process of rebuilding starts, this sense of brotherhood offers us hope that we will get through these dark days and come out in a better tomorrow. It will certainly be a long road to recovery, but we will take it together. And together, as the past few weeks have shown, the Keralites are a strong, resilient lot,” Archana Madhav writes for Scroll.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)