Telangana Hyderabad - ‘Meal at Masjid’ to help break Religious barriers
The management of several mosques and dargahs in the city has chosen to host "Meal at Masjid" to commemorate milad-un-nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, in an effort to foster understanding amongst followers of different religions. The mosque and dargah committees are hosting a supper for individuals of all religions for the first time this evening. The "Visit My Mosque" outreach campaign in hyderabad is currently in its second phase. Earlier, a number of mosques were made accessible to people of all faiths to promote interfaith understanding.
Meals will now be served as part of the milad-un-nabi celebrations in the second phase. In addition to hyderabad, mosque and dargah committees in vijayawada and other regions of india will also welcome everyone inside. Despite the fact that this year's milad-un-nabi comes on september 28, Muslim religious officials in hyderabad have chosen to hold Milad-related public events between september 23 and 27 in order to avoid conflict with Ganesh immersion, which also falls on september 28. As a result, on any of these days, several mosques and dargahs would host the "Meal at Masjid".
According to Mazher Hussain, executive director of COVA Peace Network, "the key is not to invite just religious leaders but also common people from the neighborhood, with a special focus on getting as many youths as possible from all communities." The "Meal at Masjid" program, which was Mazher Hussain's idea, has been well-received all around the world. As many as 300 mosques from seven different nations have committed to serving a meal on Milad-un-Nabi. So far, hyderabad has at least 20 mosques that have concurred. To help mosque committees organize Meal at Masjid and post pictures, a special website has been created.
According to Mazher Hussain, executive director of COVA Peace Network, "the key is not to invite just religious leaders but also common people from the neighborhood, with a special focus on getting as many youths as possible from all communities." The "Meal at Masjid" program, which was Mazher Hussain's idea, has been well-received all around the world. As many as 300 mosques from seven different nations have committed to serving a meal on Milad-un-Nabi. So far, hyderabad has at least 20 mosques that have concurred. To help mosque committees organize Meal at Masjid and post pictures, a special website has been created.
The mosque or dargah panel will also hear from the non-Muslim visitors about the key ideas of their faiths, as well as those of the prophets and saints, in order to comprehend the central ideas of all, according to Mazher, who spoke to TOI. "There will be a brief discussion on the life of Prophet Mohammed and his teachings," Mazher said. He claimed that he is in discussions with the heads of various religious groups about hosting meals during their holidays. milad-un-nabi will only be the beginning, he continued, adding that this might "help develop proper perspective and clear misunderstandings."
In the weeks leading up to the Milad, there will be blood donation camps in addition to the opening of mosques and dargahs for a meal. According to social activist Zakir Hussain, mosque committees in hyderabad are now welcoming everyone and appreciating the value of intercommunal cooperation. "Today, numerous mosques in hyderabad serve a variety of purposes, including hosting nursing homes, operating clinics, and feeding children in slums. A few mosques also operate coaching centre and libraries, according to Zakir.