A video of Muslim youths offering a salute to a Hindu temple during a recent Eid-e-Milad rally in Kasaragod, Kerala, has gone viral on social media, with many users hailing it as a powerful example of religious harmony in the state.
The viral Instagram reel shows uniformed volunteers marching down a road, stopping briefly to salute the shrine before continuing on. The Eid-e-Milad rally was organised by the Kottikulam Noorul Huda Madrassa at Palakunnu, and the temple they saluted was the Palakunnu Kazhakam Bhagavathy temple. Eid-e-Milad is a celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
Anishith K, a local youth who witnessed the gesture, captured it on his mobile phone and posted it on his Instagram account on Saturday. The video has since been viewed by nearly 2.5 million people. "I never expected that the video would go viral when I posted it," he told the media on Tuesday. "I was sitting at my father's shop, which is just opposite the temple, when the rally was passing. I had goosebumps seeing the participants offering a salute to the shrine. So, I shot the visuals on my phone."
Anishith captioned the video, "This is Kerala. Kerala's unity in diversity — Muslims saluting a Hindu temple on Nabi Dinam, showing respect and harmony between religions."
One of the organisers of the rally said that they have followed the practice of saluting the temple for the past 10 years. "This time, it has become viral through the video," he said. "There were 47 participants, including children. Several people have called us and texted us after seeing the viral video." He added that they also offer similar gestures of respect to other religious institutions along the route of the rally.
A large number of social media users have praised the gesture, describing it as an example of the religious harmony and coexistence that is a hallmark of the state.
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