In the desert city of Mithi, Pakistan, a remarkable show of religious harmony took place as Hindus prepared meals for fasting Muslims and the Muslim community welcomed a Holi march, marking a unique time of unity in a nation that is frequently rife with religious bias.
While there are spiritual resentments in Pakistan with a majority of Muslims, Mithi, a city in Sindh province with rolling sand sand and mud-brick houses, stands out, according to AFP.
One of the few locations in Pakistan where Hindus make up the majority is the city, which has approximately 60 000 residents.
” All the customs and rituals here are observed up,” said Raj Kumar, a 30-year-old Hindu business. Muslim children join Hindu children on Holi, where they celebrate together and paint colors on one another, according to Kumar.
Holi and the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan coexisted this year, bringing both populations closer. According to AFP, thousands of Hindus marched through Mithi’s streets, where their warm welcome was met by Muslim neighbors in the town square.
We have been taught to coexist since we were young. This has been passed down through generations, and we are also following it, according to Mohan Lal Mali, a 53-year-old Hindu native who organized a supper for Muslims to split their fast.
When Hindu MP Mahesh Kumar Malani was given Holi powder, Muslim cleric Babu Aslam Qaimkhani revealed the close relationship between the areas and said,” Now, you might not notice colors on me, but in the history, they would drench me in colors.
The local imam’s worship,” Peace to Hindus and Muslims,” ends the call for worship by saying,” Peace to Hindus and Muslims.”
In Pakistan, where freedom of religion is frequently threatened, Mithi is special. Spiritual repression and prejudice are becoming more prevalent, according to the Pakistani Human Rights Commission, and state governments frequently fail to stop turmoil.
But, Mithi has seen much religious violence, and unlike in other parts of Pakistan, there is no need for armed security, as reported by AFP. Perhaps during Hindu celebrations, this is true. There are no meat shops in the area out of regard for Hindu beliefs, and Muslims and Hindus vote for one another.
Muslims simply offer goat sacrifices during holidays.
” We are not divided,” he said. Amaan Ullah, a 19-year-old Muslim laborer, said,” We all are people, and we all are equal.”
Residents are concerned that the tranquility may be hampered by an outside influence despite this peaceful coexistence. In 1947, when India and Pakistan were established, the city was protected from Partition violence because of its rural area in the Tharparkar plains.
But, as Mithi grows, extreme parts have been introduced into the city as a result of an exodus of foreigners.
A large banner for the radical Islamist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan ( TLP), which promotes blasphemy laws, is now hung in the city’s central square, according to AFP.
” Individuals coming from outside the town are causing some question and a little sense of fear,” said Padma Lodha, the principal of a Hindu class.
Mithi, however, is a unique example of intercultural tranquility, where Muslims, Hindus, and perhaps Christians coexist and celebrate their respective traditions side by side.
