Fostering unity with ‘open house’ at city mosques

Chennai: For about a year now, the committees of mosques in Chennai have been hosting open houses, inviting people of all faiths to gather at the campus to get to know the culture and the community better. On June 11, there was one at Makkah Masjid on Anna Salai and on July 9, there will be one at Javeed Masjid, also on Anna Salai.“The idea for this sparked during Bakrid last year,” says Imitiaz Ahamed, secretary of the Javeed Masjid. “I observed a woman standing at the entrance of the masjid and when I began speaking to her, she asked me if she could come in and see the mosque. I welcomed her in and she witnessed the sermon for the day.” Imtiaz says the woman told him that she had passing by the mosque every day for the past 20 years and had always wanted to step inside but was hesitant to ask as she was not a Muslim. “After the sermon, she asked if there was a way for other people to experience the mosque. And that was how we got the idea for open houses.”At least 100-200 people of all faiths attend each open house, says Imtiaz. “The first open house was at Eidgah Masjid at Mandaveli in November 2022. There was a second one at the same venue in June, where we had 190 people attend,” says Imtiaz. He adds that the idea behind the event is merely to foster understanding and unity. “I learned a lot about what happens inside mosques,” says Amirtha Varshini from Mandavelli, who attended an open house.“The staff and the community at the mosque answered our questions patiently,” says Natarajan S, 28, from Trichy, who attended the June open house.