In India, Eid ul-Fitr was celebrated one day later; celebrations took place this Thursday, April 11 for a large part of the population. In Calcutta, they began early with prayers held in the four corners of the city, in an atmosphere of serenity and without conflicts between religions.
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With our special correspondent in Calcutta, Clea Broadhurst
Thousands of men, some holding their children’s hands, stretched out their prayer carpets on one of the main roads of the city, closed for the occasion. The imam spoke about the end of this month of Ramadan in India and spoke bluntly of the need to pray for the Palestinians. Once the prayer is observed, Faisal explains to us that, according to him, being a Muslim today in West Bengal is not a problem:
“ Nothing has changed ! This festival is a celebration, just like Calcutta is. Kolkata is a multicultural and open-minded city. Hate is only found in the media. When you go to communities, everyone celebrates Eid together, you cannot distinguish who is Muslim and who is not. »
Maidul Islam is a political scientist at the Center for Social Science Studies, Calcutta. According to him, Muslims live more peacefully here because it is a secular state:
“ If you talk to a Muslim in West Bengal, of course they don’t feel threatened, because the government is secular, people are quite protected. There is visibility of the Muslim community at the leadership level. The mayor of Calcutta is Muslim, for example. But if the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, political party of Prime Minister Narendra ModiEditor’s note) comes to power in West Bengal, things will certainly change, because they will persecute Muslims. »
The elections will be closely watched in the state where Hindu-Muslim relations undoubtedly play a role.
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