COIMBATORE: Taking a cue from a recent heart whelming incident on communal harmony in Kerala, where a Hindu wedding was held in a masjid, authorities of a mosque in Coimbatore have planned to build a community hall on its premises to allow people from other religions to conduct events there.
The hall shall soon be built at the newly inaugurated mosque named Masjidhul Muhaajireen at Vellalore in Coimbatore. The motive behind such an initiative was to bring people together, irrespective of their religion, said those in the know.
While the construction of the community hall is in the pipeline, the authorities of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH)-Coimbatore chapter have begun to offer various community services to people living at the housing unit in Vellalore.
Free tailoring classes for women and tuition classes for school students are among those services. By roping in a doctor, the residents shall be provided health checkups at affordable costs, they said.
"The housing unit in Vellalore has over 2,800 families, of which around 800 are those of Muslims. Unlike other mosques where women are not permitted inside, we have allocated a place for women to perform prayers in our mosque which is situated near the housing unit. Also, people from any religion are free to enter the Masjidhul Muhaajireen," said District Secretary of JIH, MS Sabeer Ali.
"In case we are requested to conduct a Hindu wedding in the mosque, similar to the one that recently happened in Kerala, we would definitely consider it. The idea is to bring people together, irrespective of their religious beliefs," Sabeer added.
Abdul Hakkim, who is the secretary of the mosque, said a few students from the Vellalore housing unit have joined the tuition classes and the headcount is expected to increase in the coming days.