Mosque Restored to Muslims

Ambala: An old mosque in Tandura bazaar here, under adverse occupation since 1947 has been restored to the Muslim community. According to a report in the Urdu daily, Rashtriya Sahara, five-time prayers began in the mosque on December 15 after a non-Muslim family vacated the mosque after being paid some compensation for an alternative accommodation. It is to be recalled that hundreds of mosques fell in disuse after Muslims in areas of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh migrated to Pakistan in the wake of unfortunate Partition of the country. Similar was the fate of Hindu temples in the Pakistani side of Punjab. The local organization Jamiat Shah Waliullah had been persuading the local Hindu and Sikh community to restore the mosque to the Muslim community which consists of members of poor workers who have taken up menial jobs in the town during the recent decades. Local Sikh leader Pramendra Singh joined Maulana Javed Nadwi of the Jamiat Shah Waliullah and a dozen other namazis in offering namaz. Pramendra said mosques are meant to worship God and they should be put to no other use. Maulana Nadwi lauded cooperation from members of the local Hindu and Sikh communities in restoring sanctity of the mosque and its handing over to the Muslims for namaz. The local Muslims contributed to compensate the occupant family for seeking an alternative accommodation.