Hindu Temple Supports Muslim Women

[Guest guest]

Cherthala, KERALA (27 Jan 2007): Fifty-three-year-old Jameela and 17-

year-old Ansila are both Muslims but their lives revolve around a

Hindu temple at Cherthala in Kerala's Alappuzha district and the

Raja Rajeswari temple has become the only support for the two women.

 

Jameela is deaf and dumb and earns a living by working at the

temple. She cleans the premises and washes the utensils used for the

puja. While Ansila says that she would never have completed her

schooling after her father's death, if the temple authorities hadn't

stepped in to help.

 

"My father passed away when I was in the 11th standard. I couldn't

have completed 12th standard without help from the temple

authorities. Apart from paying my school fees, they also gave me a

lot of moral support," says Ansila.

 

So, what inspires an orthodox Hindu temple, which is run by a trust

based on the teachings of social reformer Sri Narayana Guru, to go

this length to salvage the lives of two Muslim women?

 

"This temple always had good relations with other religious

communities. We strongly believe in the teachings of Sri Narayana

Guru, who said that we must help the needy, no matter which

community they belong to," says President of Raja Rajeswari Temple,

K Purushan.

 

For all the preachers of religious harmony, this temple in southern

Kerala is sending a strong signal: practice what you preach. And

undoubtedly there cant be a better way than to use the teachings of

a 20th century Hindu social reformer to salvage the lives to two

needy women.

 

SOURCE: CNN-IBN. By Naveen Nair. FAITH BEYOND RELIGION: This temple

in Kerala is sending a strong signal - practice what you preach.

URL (WITH VIDEO): http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/32206/hindu-temple-

supports-muslim-women.html

TINY URL: http://tinyurl.com/2rt2g4