CHANDIGARH, India: In what appears to be a truest manifestation of interfaith harmony and indiscriminate respect for all humans, a Sikh family in Indian Punjab donated its land for the construction of a mosque to enable local Muslim dwellers to worship as per their religious beliefs.
As per a report by The Times of India, the family of Darshan Singh donated 16 marlas (484 sq yards) of land estimatedly worth over Rs 800,000 (Indian Rupee) for building a mosque in Machhike village of Indian Punjab’s Moga district.
The report stated that Machhike village already has a nearly 200-year-old mosque situation right on the edge of the Barnala-Moga Highway but it is on the verge of being demolished for a road widening project.
It stated that more than a year ago when the widening project was launched, the Muslim families in the village, under the banner of the Muslim Welfare Society, tried to urge the authorities to spare the mosque at the edge of the highway.
However, after structuring adjacent to the mosque or those situated almost on the edge of the highway started being demolished, they began to look for another spot for a mosque and even approached the village panchayat but with no success.
Finally, the family of Darshan Singh came to their rescue and announced its decision to provide 16 marlas of land in the village for the mosque.
“We were worried for out place of worship. With only 14-15 Muslim families in the village, which has a population of over 7,000, we did not have the resources to purchase land and at the same time did not want to lose the only place of paying obeisance. It is at this point that the family of Darshan Singh came as angels and donated the land to construct a mosque and a dharamsala,” the Muslim Welfare Society President Roop Mohammad said.
