Makkah Colony is a small locality near Cavalry Ground where both Muslim and Christian communities have been living in peace for a long time. This year, with the Eid Miladun Nabi and Christmas falling within a day of each other, you can walk through this humble locality near Gulberg III and find the markets, shops, streets and houses bearing both Christmas and Eid Miladun Nabi decorations.
The Makkah Colony can be held up as an example of interfaith harmony as the religious festivals of two different religions are being commemorated with great zeal and passion, and both communities are taking part in it.
In a survey conducted by Pakistan Today, it was revealed that almost all the residents contributed in decorating the main bazaar on the eve of Eid Miladun Nabi and Christmas.
Raheel Gill, a 24 year old young man who hails from the Christian community of the area, told Pakistan Today that he was born in this area and had not seen even a single clash since his birth over religious differences between the communities.
“The main bazaar has been decorated with the joint fund collection of Muslims and Christians as both took part with great fervour in this venture,” said Raheel, whose father was elected general councilor from the area in a previous election. Raheel added that almost every street of the area has a church and a mosque and everyone enjoys complete liberty in performing their religious rituals.
A Muslim resident of the area, Muhammad Arif, told Pakistan Today that he had been living in the colony for almost 50 years. He said that it was a common practice here that Muslims participate in every marriage and death ceremony of Christians and vice versa.
“Our Christian brothers send cakes and sweets every year on Christmas because the atmosphere between the communities is extremely friendly. Everyone knows each other’s name.” He said that it was a tradition in the area that each and every religious festival was commemorated with great enthusiasm.
However, even this place is not fully immune to the vicissitudes of our time.
“There is a security threat this year in the area because of the overall situation of the country. Police officials have been taking rounds of the colony in past days,” Arif said.
Riaz Masih, who was decorating his house with multi-colour lights, told Pakistan Today that it was common for people to have friends in both communities. He said that everyone here was free to practice his or her religious obligations and no one questioned the other’s faith at all.
“We live together, eat together and we celebrate our festivals together,” he said.
–HASSAAN AHMED
