Fakhar Alam<\/p>\n
PESHAWAR :Rawandar Singh, a 39-years old Sikh, is all smiles and exudes high spirit of sharing and compassion as he seeks solace in dolling out dates and \u2018pakora\u2019 among fasting Muslims during iftaar on returning home from his shop in Hashtnagri. Rawandar Singh wearing the traditional turban has been distributing packets of dates and other edible items among the fasting Peshawarties in Hastnagri bazaar since 2012.<\/p>\n
His father Awtah Singh has started the noble practice and passed on to his son. \u201cI feel inner peace and satisfaction while doing the noble practice in all 30 days of the month.\u201d \u201cThe soothing moments of distributing iftaar\u2019s items including dates, pakora, jalebi and others dishes still alive as fresh as today when I keenly observe my late father Awtah Singh handing over packets of iftaar food to Muslim brothers all along way from Hastnagri to Mohalla Jogan Ramdas in interior City,\u201d Rawandar Singh told APP while distributing dates and pakora among the fasting Muslims ahead of Iftaar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI strongly believe in interfaith-harmony, love and brotherhood. Distribution of food in Ramazan is our mark of respect and admiration for our fasting Muslims\u2019 brothers besides giving us inner peace and satisfaction,\u201d Rawandar who is being helped by his son in dolling out of dates and pakora told the news agency.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Dewa Singh and his son Tajindar Singh, who are associated with telecommunication business in Hastnagri Peshawar, said that inviting people of different faiths in iftaar parties in Pakistan send a strong message of love, brotherhood and friendship to the whole world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout winning hearts and minds, we can\u2019t come closer to each other and could not develop a society whose inhabitants enjoy equal rights and respect for each other\u2019s beliefs,\u201d they said. \u201cArranging iftaar parties and Ramzan camps for Muslims is not a new practice for us. Our forefathers did the same thing to express warmth, love and friendship to our Muslims brothers of Peshawar during Ramazan,\u201d they said, adding they were serving iftaar\u2019s foods to over dozens of fasting persons on daily basis and vowed to continue to do so in the remaining days of the month.<\/p>\n
Roadside mass iftaar parties are being seen at Qisa Khwani, University Road, Lady Reading Hospital, Takhto Jumat Cantonment and Ramadas where philanthropists invite people of different faiths in an environment of sharing, care and friendship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mass iftaar parties\u2019 long sheets filled with dates, pakora, jalebi snacks, fruits, dahe bhalay, kacalo, rice, meat, paye, chapply kebab, polao, and sweet beverages get fully occupied by the passerby, laborers and people of different schools of thought.<\/p>\n
Haroon Sarbdayal, a representative of Hindu community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a founding member of Pakistan Council of World Religions said that all prophets and founders of all religions had promoted peace, forgiveness, patience, love and tolerance through their universal teachings, actions and deeds.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWe need to promote \u2018acceptance\u2019 along with \u2018tolerance\u2019 because the former is more effective in establishing durable peace, patience, and pluralism in the society.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0He said Ramazan was the month of tolerance and patience in which Hindu community has started arranging iftaar parties for Muslim brothers in the province.<\/p>\n
In Peshawar, he said, a grand iftaar party would be arranged in last Ashra of Ramazan where leaders of all religions would be invited.<\/p>\n
\u00a0He said such noble practices were already being made in Sindh. Sarbdayal said misperceptions among followers of different faiths could be removed by enhancing interaction and dialogues among them. He suggested establishment of common study centers for followers of all religions where they could interact and understand each other\u2019s beliefs and organize iftaar parties to bring people closer.<\/p>\n
Highly appreciating the minorities\u2019 goodwill gestures of arranging iftaar parties and \u2018iftaar dastarkhwans\u2019, he said these noble practices bring Muslims and minorities closer and enhance their understanding about each others\u2019 faiths.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Qibla Ayaz, Chairman Pakistan Council of Islamic Ideology (CCI) and former Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar said that interfaith harmony means bringing peace and tranquility among people through positivity and mutual coexistence.<\/p>\n
He said inviting each others for iftaar parties cement bonds of love, friendship and brotherhood among people of all religions including Islam and Christianity.<\/p>\n
\u00a0He said, \u201cThe Madina Charter had provided complete and unprecedented religious freedoms to the followers of all religions and there was a need of constant debate and discussion on its different clauses and articles for education for ensuring lasting peace and harmony in world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Terming charity an important component of Islam, Qibla Ayaz said it was more significant in Ramazan and people should give it to reputable charity organizations having an excellent people\u2019s service and clean accounts record. He said a list of reputable charities organisations was available in NECTA website, adding extra care should be made by people so that their charity can\u2019t go into the wrong hands. The charitable initiatives such as arranging mass iftaar parties and Ramzan camps will not only strengthen the bonds of love and friendship but would also help bring people closer, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fakhar Alam PESHAWAR :Rawandar Singh, a 39-years old Sikh, is all smiles and exudes high spirit of sharing and compassion as he seeks solace in dolling out dates and \u2018pakora\u2019 among fasting Muslims during iftaar on returning home from his shop in Hashtnagri. Rawandar Singh wearing the traditional turban has been distributing packets of dates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4557,5939,5940],"class_list":{"0":"post-255173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar","8":"tag-interfaith-harmony","9":"tag-mass-iftaar-parties","10":"tag-reflection"},"yoast_head":"\n