JAKARTA - A Hindu engineer who was on vacation in the Indian state of Kerala, financed the renovation of a local mosque, after Muslims there 'failed' to meet funding targets before Ramadan.
PV Soorya Narayanan, 58, was visiting his ancestral home in Vattaloor, Malappuram last month, when he saw the damaged wall of the mosque. The mosque was named Masjidul Ummarul Farook.
Narayanan, who works in Qatar as an engineer, met with mosque officials to inquire about the dilapidated condition of the building, offering more than $660 to paint and repair it.
"Mosques in Kerala, even around the world, are usually cleaned and painted before Ramadan. But due to the pandemic and lack of funds, mosques cannot be painted," Manzoor Palliparambil, secretary general of mosques told The National News, as quoted April 7.
"His family lives near the mosque. He asked his cousin, who runs a construction company, to paint the mosque and pay for his services," Palliparambil continued.
Narayanan's contribution to mosques is a rare, but unusual act in India, where tensions between Hindus and Muslims are rising.
Last month, a Muslim businessman donated land worth millions of rupees for a Hindu temple, billed as the world's tallest religious monument, in the eastern state of Bihar.
However, hostilities are rising in neighboring Karnataka, where Hindu groups have tried to discourage Muslims from following Islamic rules such as wearing the hijab and eating halal meat.
Not only that, Muslims are also prohibited from doing business near Hindu temples. Hindu groups in the coastal state have also objected to the use of loudspeakers for the call to prayer in mosques in recent weeks.
Palliparambil cites Narayanan's stance as an example of the 'Kerala model' of development to preserve, promote communal harmony and social justice.
Kerala, which has more than 36 million inhabitants, is a predominantly Hindu state, with a Muslim and Christian population of nearly 45 percent.
The tiny state is ruled by a left-leaning government, remaining largely unaffected by sectarian strife in other states in the country.
"He has set an example of communal harmony in the state... Hindus and Muslims live peacefully here and it's not uncommon for people from other communities to help each other," said Palliparambil.
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