Ahead of Prophet Mohammad's birthday, Mumbai masjids woo non-Muslims

Story by  ATV | Posted by  Nakul Shivani • 1 Years ago
Initiative to remove misgivings about Islam among non-muslims underway in Mumbai masjids
Initiative to remove misgivings about Islam among non-muslims underway in Mumbai masjids

 

Mumbai

Barely a fortnight before Prophet Mohammad's birthday on October 9 celebrated as Eid-e-Milad, several Muslim groups in Mumbai have united for a unique initiative to enlighten non-Muslims on the Prophet's teaching and preaching and remove misgivings about Islam.

Titled 'Prophet For All Campaign' (PFAC), the initiative will see the participation of various masjids, madrassas, Muslim-run schools or colleges, NGOs, social and cultural organisations and other entities.

"This is not intended to be an evangelical exercise. We are only keen to carry the Prophet's message of love, peace and brotherhood to all our non-Muslim brethren - Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, Buddhists, etc - for a better understanding of Islam and its followers," the Campaign torchbearer Yusuf Abrahani told mediapersons.

"Besides the Prophet's message for humanity, it will also dwell on environment, conserving water, compassion for the poor, destitutes, orphans, workers or women along with certain activities conducted specially for non-Muslim audiences, " he added.

President of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Aamir Edresy said that there are around 500 registered masjids in Mumbai, nearly 400 schools and 20 colleges run by various Muslim trusts who are also being roped into the Campaign.

The PFAC will put up banners of the Prophet's teaching which have universal appeal at major railway stations, bus stands, outside mosques or other public places, to make the maximum number of masses aware.

On October 9, a special mushaira' shall be held at the Islam Gymkhana featuring non-Muslim poets who have written on the Prophet with the audience comprising invitees from different communities.

Explaining the principle behind the PFAC, the duo said that in recent times, certain misconceptions about Islam and Muslims have been created which have caused immense distress to the law-abiding and peaceful minority community in the country.

The PFAC hopes to dispel such wrong notions among the masses, make them aware of the true beauty of Islam, its philosophy of universal peace, brotherhood, love and concern for all people irrespective of their faith, they said.

The next goal is to have regular meal services for the deprived sections of society in all mosques.

Like the Sikh community, all mosques to remain open round-the-clock for people without any restrictions, offering other social-cultural services to the nearby communities, competitions, health initiatives, and more, as the budgets of the masjid trusts would permit.

Other members like Saeed Khan, Wamir Idrisi, Farooq Syed have urged Muslims to visit orphanages, destitute homes, old age institutions, blind persons or even hospitals on October 9 to distribute food, fruits or items of daily necessities to the needy, as propounded by the Prophet.

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The PFAC organisers are hopeful that this will help curb the venom spewed against Islam and its followers in India by a miniscule number of amisguided individuals' and help strengthen the existing bonds of Muslims with all other communities.