Members of Paigham-e-Islam Masjid and Islamic Centre (Picture by Bhola Prasad)
Jamshedpur: (Jharkhand) At a time of increasing suspicion and intolerance, an upcoming mosque here seeks to build bridges with knowledge and wisdom. Paigham-e-Islam Masjid and Islamic Centre in Mango will be a first of its kind mosque in Jharkhand with a library offering Islamic books along with those of Hindi, English and Urdu literature and a reading room. These apart, the learning centre attached to the mosque will offer English-speaking classes to poorer students and youth, tuition for competitive exams, career counselling and inspirational talks by teachers and professionals from various fields. People of other faiths are welcome to participate in discussions and seminars and use the library and reading room. The mosque and the learning centre will be run by Paigham-e-Islam Education and Welfare Trust, an outfit formed in 2011 with the cream of Muslim intelligentsia in Jamshedpur and some NRIs, including academics, lawyers, bureaucrats, social workers and professionals, as members. Religious scholar and social worker Syed Saifuddin Asdaque, the director-founder of the Paigham-e-Islam Education and Welfare Trust, said they always wanted to be a part of a mosque that would spread peace, knowledge and wisdom. “As far as our knowledge goes, a mosque with books on literature and a reading room nowhere exists in India. Though we have less space now (2,400sqft), we plan to expand with more such innovative plans in the future,” he said. “We know this has never happened before here, but we are trying to bring something new.”
(source: www.telegraphindia.com) By Antara Bose
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