KOCHI: In a gesture towards demolishing religious barriers, members of the trust managing the Grand Masjid at Old Station Road here decided to open the mosque’s doors to people from other religions during Friday’s Juma namaz. The invitation was well received as many people and dignitaries attended the meeting held inside the mosque after the prayers. The guests included Justice Devan Ramachandran, Justice Alexander Thomas, Swamy Dharma Chaitanya, Swami Guru Jnana Thapasi and Fr Vincent Kundukulam, among others.
M P Faizal, the Imam (one who leads the prayer) of the mosque, said the primary aim of the ‘Open Masjid Day’ was to bring down the barriers of religion and strengthen religious unity. “We aim to provide our brothers of other religions an opportunity to know about the religious practices of Muslims. This will help in dispelling the misconceptions regarding Islam,” he said.
Justice Devan Ramachandran hailed open masjid was a great concept. “Benevolence is the foundation stone of all religions. It is for the first time that I am witnessing a namaz and it was a remarkable moment. Concepts such as open masjid will help people to know about other religions better. Strengthening our brotherhood by breaking religious barriers is the need of the hour,” he said. The Imam said the mosque will open its doors to people following other religions once a month. The programme will also be extended to other Jamaat-Islami mosques.