Al Akhbar, p.2, supplement, (27/10/2006)

Days in India

By: Diaa El Hagery

The Indian government sometimes feels proud to say that India has the second largest Muslim community in the world that reached 150 million; it also boasts the fact that the number of Muslims there are more than Muslims in Pakistan.

Islamic culture left its strong marks on the languages, arts, architecture, and culture in India.

One of the landmarks of Delhi is Jamea Masjid which dates back to the Moughal period. The imam of the mosque is Sheikh Sayed Bokhari who specifies the beginning of the month of Ramadan for Indian Muslims.

I came to know Dr. Mohmmad El Nagar, an expert in the WHO, who is considered the head of the Egyptian community in India. He spent several years in India and became trustworthy so that Indians take his advice regarding taking medications and inoculations.

I liked some Indian dishes such as stuffed cabbage which is cut into small pieces and cooked in tomato sauce.

In one of my encounters there, I met with an Indian lady who inherited a large textile factory. She managed to develop it and its products are being exported to foreign countries. She complained about Indian young men who started to be affected by the western culture. She said that her daughter is studying in the US and sent her a letter saying that she has a boyfriend and he wants to come to India and stay in their house during their vacation but she refused.

Then she told me that she is collecting money for a poor Indian Muslim who had a car accident and became unable to work. She said that the religion of the person is not important. What is important is that he is an Indian. She told me that after the rioting incidents that swept the Indian capital following the murder of Indira Gandhi, she opened the doors of her palace for anyone who asked for protection in spite of the fact that she is Hindu.

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