Nagpur: After the Imam at Sangam Nagar Masjid, near Jaffar Nagar, demonstrated on how to perform vazu (ablutions) before prayers at a mosque, a group of 20, majority of whom were non-Muslims, quickly repeated. These people from other faiths were invited by Jamaat-e-Islami-e-Hind (JIH) to visit the mosque an hour before the second namaz on Sunday afternoon.The visit was part of JIH’s Masjid Parichay (introduction to a mosque), a drive running across the state. It started on a micro-level in Nagpur and the plan to arrange such visits at other mosques across the city and even a madrasa.For many of the visitors, it was for the first time that they had interacted with the Imam of a mosque and understood the Islamic way of praying and other aspects of the culture. For JIH, an organization founded in 1940s, it was an attempt to change others’ attitude towards the Muslim community.JIH, which is known to have undergone ideological shift by advocating secularism, was banned during the Emergency along with some other organizations. The ban was lifted soon after the Emergency ended.“There is often a misconception about the community and also about the activities which take place inside a mosque. We want to break the stigma and so opened the doors for others. Let people know that it is only a place of worship, and they can learn about customs we follow,” said Mohammed Ayub Khan, who leads the local JIH unit.Khan said he had sent invitations to over 100 persons but nearly 20 turned up. The numbers were still enough considering the sentiment in society, he said.Among the visitors, Vilas Khankar, a policeman, said he knew Khan as he had met him in a Eid Milan programme so accepted the invitation for the mosque visit. “Offering namaz is like Yoga,” he told Shakir-UL-Akram Salahi, the Imam who replied “yes but praying to God is the purpose. Of course, it may be beneficial like Yoga too.” Khankar said it was his second visit to the mosque after the Eid-Milan function, but it was for the first time that he got to learn so much.Another visitor Prabhakar Bawankule said he had met Khan when the JIH team had visited the Gurudev Seva Mandal dedicated to Tukdoji Maharaj. “In times when much hate is being spread between communities, such efforts can help in building bridges,” he said.Khan said apart from calling members of other communities to the mosques, JIH has also been holding events in places of worship of other faiths. Last year, a Diwali Milan programme was held at the Hanuman Mandir in the neighbourhood.

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