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Madrasa opens doors for a Christian woman's funeral

Another story of harmony from Malappuram once labelled by BJP as 'most violent district'
Last Updated 01 February 2021, 09:22 IST

Malappuram district in North Kerala that was once labelled as India's most violent district by BJP leader Maneka Gandhi has yet another story of harmony to share as a madrassa in the district offered space to conduct the last rites of a Christian woman of the locality.

The Tha'leemul Islam Higher Secondary Madrasa at Ponnad near Kondotty, about 20 kilometres from the town, even witnessed a Christian priest conducting prayers by reading the Bible and Christian devotional songs being sung in the Madrasa hall as part of the last rites.

Bridget Richards, a local resident, died at the age of 82 on Friday. She has been living in the locality for over 10 years after her husband passed away. The couple had no children. Bridget's was the lone Christian family in the locality and she was having a cordial relationship with the members of the locality, who used to fondly call her 'Ammachi'. Most of her relatives are in Kozhikode and abroad.

When her body was brought home, the freezer in which the body was kept could not be taken inside her house. Since the funeral was scheduled for Saturday as her relatives had to arrive, the local people and some of her relatives were looking for other options. That is when the authorities of the madrasa, situated hardly 50 metres from her house, offered the madrasa space.

Siddique Ponnad, an executive committee member of the madrasa, told DH that arrangements for keeping the freezer with Ammachi's body were made at a classroom in the madrasa. Arrangement for cleaning the body was also provided at the madrasa premises and local people, mostly from the Muslim community, performed the acts. Some relatives of Ammachi also turned up from Kozhikode.

The funeral prayers were also performed on Saturday in the madrasa by Kozhikode CSI cathedral vicar T I James without any sort of hesitation. The vicar was also quite overwhelmed by the harmony in the region as Bible and Christian devotional songs echoed in the madrasa, said Siddique, who is also a local leader of the Indian Union Muslim League. Local MLA T V Ibrahim who came across the heartening developments also turned up for the funeral prayers.

Last year, there was a strong campaign by some BJP leaders against the Muslim-dominated district. Following some misleading reports that a wild elephant was killed in the forest areas of Malappuram district after being given explosives-packed pineapple, BJP leader Maneka Gandhi even termed the district as the most violent district.

The district had received much appreciation after the local people actively participated in the rescue operations following the AIE flight crash in August last year.

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(Published 01 February 2021, 09:22 IST)

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