Madrassa stands out as symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity

Salam/Peace:

When 14-year-old Asma, a Muslim girl studying in eighth standard, writes on the black board in Sanskrit "Aham pustakam pathami," the tiny class room of this madrassa reverberates with the collective sound of the boys and girls, who pronounce the sentence in chaste Sanskrit.

Similarly, when 11-year-old Seema, a Hindu girl studying in fifth standard, writes in Urdu “Allah is the greatest”, all Hindu and Muslim boys and girls recite the line. This is a usual scene at the Madrassa Anwarul Salafia at Chanwara Bazar in Eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, very close to Azamgarh, about 200 kilometres from here. At a time when the secular fabric of the country has come under strain following series of terrorist attacks and violence against Christians, this madrassa stands out as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.

A majority of of the students are Hindus,” Saikat told Deccan Herald from Jaunpur.

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http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep292008/national2008092892607.asp