Citizens unite as Shias, Sunnis pray together

On  Eid-ul-Zuha last September 25, the historic Sibtainabad Imambara in Hazratganj was witness to a joint Shia-Sunni namaz. The event was exceptional in several ways. While it’s a common practice in Islamic and Western nations for the two to pray together, the practice is unheard of in the India subcontinent and completely out of the question in Lucknow. Added to this was the fact that the common namaaz was held in a Shia monument led by a Sunni imam and attended by Muslims of both sects, including eminent clerics such as vice president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Kalbe Sadiq and sitting and former judges of the High Court. A city notorious for Shia-Sunni violence and mistrust took the first baby step to bridge the gap between the two sects.

Citizens’ initiative

“We were really scared that some mischievous element might derail the whole effort. We had informed the chief minister’s office and had kept the district administration in the loop. Adequate security was in place and the event passed off peacefully,” said Atif Hanif a founder member of the unique citizen-driven initiative, ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ (S2S). An MBA from Aligarh Muslim University and about to start his own e-commerce venture, Hanif said: “It was after Eid that a few like-minded people got together to brainstorm on the social media about such a possibility.”

Interestingly, the S2S initiative began as a Whatsapp group. It eventually led to the creation of multiple sister groups as the app allows maximum of 100 members. Subsequently a Facebook event was created which went viral.

Common cause

S2S comprises a group of young, determined professionals of all religions between the age group 25-40. Another illustration of bridging the Shia-Sunni divide was visible during Moharram, the month of mourning for the Shias. For the first time, eminent Shia cleric Kalbe Jawwad invited a distinguished Sunni cleric from Tonk in Rajasthan, Mufti-e-Azam Maulana Kamal Ahmed Shamsi Tehrani, to address the majalis (congregations) at the historic Imambaras or the ritual places of mourning for Shia Muslims in Lucknow. 

Minor setback

A recent setback to the newly built Shia-Sunni camaraderie was experienced in the city when the Saudi government executed eminent Shia cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr on January 2. Widespread protests were held in the old city by the Shia clerics against the Saudi government sending mixed signals to members of the Sunni sect. S2S volunteers admit that the central task for them is to help people distinguish and choose between the politics of religion and the universal message of love and peace from religion.