Gurudwara Opens Doors for Muslims for Eid Prayers

On the heels of numerous attacks on both Sikh and Muslim places of worship, it was with a much needed sigh of relief that I read about Muslims and Sikhs in an incident not including violence. Instead the Times of India on Wednesday reported a heart-warming story about how in a place called Joshimath in Uttarakhand, Sikhs invited the Muslims to pray in the hall of their Gurudwara on Eid-ul-Fitr.

There is no mosque or idgah in Joshimath, a town perched above the Alakhnanda deep in the Garhwal Himalayas. Usually its 800-odd Muslim residents offer namaaz at the town’s Gandhi Maidan, a public ground. 

On Monday, however, Gandhi maidan had turned into slush. It had been raining heavily for several days and Eid, the festival day too dawned in a downpour. The Muslim community was struggling with the problem when the head of the local gurdwara sent a heart warming message to them- The Muslims could use the main hall of the gurdwara for offering namaaz.

Outlook India summed up my thoughts quite nicely: The town reaffirmed my faith in humanity by a simple gesture - helping a brother out on a rainy day.