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Madrassa opens its door for Christian woman’s funeral in Kerala

Last year, there was a strong campaign by some BJP leaders against the Muslim dominated district
Last Updated 01 February 2021, 22:29 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 has offered space to conduct the last rites of a Christian woman of the locality.

The Tha’leemul Islam Higher Secondary Madrassa at Ponnad near Kondotty, about 20 kilometres from the town, even witnessed a Christian priest conducting prayers by reading the Bible and devotional songs being sung in the madrassa 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 ten years after her husband passed away. The couple had no children. Bridget’s was the lone Christian family in the locality and she had a cordial relationship with member of the locality who used to fondly call her ‘Ammachi’. Most of her relatives are in Kozhikode and others are abroad.

When her body was brought home, the freezer could not be taken inside her house. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday as her relatives need to arrive. As the locals and some of her relatives looked for other options authorities of the madrassa situated hardly 50 metres from her house offered space. Siddique Ponnad, an executive committee member of the madrassa, told Deccan Herald that arrangements for keeping the freezer with Ammachi’s body was made at a classroom of the madrassa. Arrangement for cleaning the body was also provided at the premises and local people, mostly from the Muslim community, performed the acts. Some relative of ‘Ammachi’ also turned up from her native place Kozhikode.

The funeral prayers were performed on Saturday in the madrassa by Kozhikode CSI cathedral vicar T I James without any sorts of hesitation.

The vicar was also quite overwhelmed by the harmony in the region as Bible and Christian devotional songs echoed in the madrassa, 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 by giving explosives packed pineapple, Maneka Gandhi termed the district as the most violent district.

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(Published 01 February 2021, 22:29 IST)

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