Noida Shia Muslims Visit Church with Christmas Gifts
The area has two churches, a Hindu temple and a mosque, all located within 500
meters of each other.
While Bethel Methodist Church in Sector 50's E-block was established in 2003,
the mosque is almost 18 years old. The tradition of exchanging gifts on
Christmas began four years ago.
A group of 10 Muslims from 'Who is Hussain' organisation, an international Shia
outfit, led by the maulana of the Anjuman Nasrane-Ahlebait mosque, Ghulam Ali Naqvi, visited the church and
presented gifts to the priest and others just after the Sunday Mass in the
afternoon.
Vaseem Zaidi, a member of the mosque committee and Noida representative for
'Who is Hussain', said that their group visits temples on Diwali to exchange
greetings too.
"We gave a greeting card, chocolates and cookies to the priest and the
children who had come to visit the church around 12 pm," he said.
Colonel SBA Zaidi, president of the mosque, said that the gesture was aimed at
spreading the message of social harmony which has been forgotten these days.
"Every religion teaches only good. But these days, there is a divide and
the concept of social harmony is fading slowly. Hence gatherings like these are
an attempt to spread the message of love and unity," he said.
Source: The Times of India
