Agra, Sep 6: In the communally restive western UP, an open-air classroom held every evening in a temple premises in Agra's Sanjay Nagar colony offers hope and also a rare insight into the state's composite culture. Here, 18-year-old Pooja Kushwaha, who is herself a normal class XII student by the day, turns into teacher at dusk giving away lessons to 35 Muslim kids in the area lessons in Quran.
So, how did she learn Arabic? "Many years ago, there was another woman of mixed faith in our locality. Born to a Muslim father and Hindu mother, Sangeeta Begum used to hold Quran classes for the kids. I got interested in the holy book and started attending her classes. I made steady progress and was ahead of all others in her class soon," Pooja said.
Due to some personal problem, Sangeeta Begum had to discontinue her classes and she requested Pooja to keep alive this legacy.
"She taught me an important tenant of Islam, that there is no point in gaining knowledge if you don't share it," the 18-year-old says with maturity that belies her age.
She does it all for free. "Most of the kids are from poor families. They do not have money to offer and I do not want it either," she says. As the number of kids in her classes grew, her house became too small to accommodate all the kids. Elders in the locality readily offered her premises of a temple for her classes.
Pooja's elder sister Nandini, who is a graduate, also imparts local kids lessons in Hindi and Bhagwat Gita. "These children are from underprivileged backgrounds and giving education to them is a great work. I am proud of my daughters," their mother Rani Kushwaha says.
And how does the general Muslim population in the area see her efforts?
One of the city's most prominent Muslim leaders, 70-year-old Haji Jamiluddin Qureshi, who chairs many social forums and has a school of his own, says, "It's heartening to know that such rare examples of communal harmony exist in our city. A teacher is a teacher and her religion doesn't matter as long as she knows the holy scripture well. Moreover, Islam doesn't object to anybody learning Arabic or reading Quran."
Comments
Yogesh, Islam means peace, peace amongst entire human kind....not just for Muslims.....don't worry kafir does not mean anything but non believer of Islam...that is...of course you are a non believer...
Dear YOGESH...
KAFIR means non believer, it is not a bad word.
ISLAM says there is no God but ALLAH
Muhammad pbuh is the last messenger of God
QURAN explains what THE CREATOR wants his CREATION to do...
QURAN is unchanged since its revelation
ALLAH invites his creation to challenge what it says...
Now
YOU need to do YOUR job of finding what QURAN says.
IF QURAN says dont drink Alcohol than find out if it is Good for YOU or not ..
QURAN says PORK is haram , Check scientifically and research Y QURAN prohibits it.. It is harmful to human body and creates many diseases...
Dont just sit at home and follow cheddi instruction.. Cheddis are dumping YOU far from GOD and also asking you to reject NA TASYA PRATImA ASTI... (There is no image of God).
Think and use your intellect which God has given you... If you are honest and Truth in searching for God... God will Guide you
Yogesh,
Muhammad pbuh is not God ... (He is a messenger and We Muslims dont worship Muhammad pbuh but We follow him the way he showed us)
ALLAH is the only one God who is worthy of Worship...
Do you think Stones can help U .. U guys are deceived for long time that u can worship thru Stones... A blatant LIE from the powers of those who Control people like U.
Stones can neither help U nor harm U...
Y can't U PONDER on what QURAN says... Just read once by yourself and try to REFLECT on what it says on GODs that is man made.
If U R really intelligent then U will know that Stones cannot do anything.. Just believing is not intelligent...
Even animals know who is God. They never worship Idols... Sometimes the Dogs make urine in them...
Think and PONDER, dont waste time by arguing. If someone is inviting YOU to look into QURAN that's cos of the TRUTH.
#10 Yogesh, Mangalore
Dear Yogesh
There should be a strong reason behind one who convert his faith to islam. After studying quraan people will come to know that islam is the real religion and Allah is only true god. My request to you is have guts and read quraan. May Allah open your heart & Eyes.
Also Allah is only the god and Muhammed Is the prophet of Allah.
People from all religions should have access to read the holy scripts with translation from all religions.
Leave them alone,
If you want just preach them your true teaching and ideology.
But never entice or force them for conversion.
This way the brotherhood can remain intact.
The society will hot have haterdness.
First of all I like to appreciate Pooja for restoring humanity and knowing different faith.
Mr. Yogesh I did not understand your theory of forced conversation, most of guys like you accuse Christian and Muslims for conversation. lets keep your theory and think there are 1000 of Christian education, healthcare institutions still why the population is below 3% in India secondly Muslim kings has ruled India for a such a long time still they are 13 to 14% why.
The word kafir is Arabic which means (non believers) and Quran tells killing a innocent is killing a humanity.. then where did that come from. I believe ALLAH as God and Mohammed as prophet.
I believe in my religion and I am not worried about conversion but that doesn't mean that I should not study other faiths. I learn bible and Quran I visit churches and mosques.
just come out of the cage and have some life bro...see the world through open eyes...don't keep hatred on anyone...
What an achievement ..... Masha Allah ....
Quran is not just to read...
Anyone who reads QURAN should reflect on what it says... The real miracle comes when we REFLECT and PONDER on it...
TRY IT.
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