According to a media report, 18-year old Pooja Kushwaha is a 12-grade student and teaches holy Quran to Muslim children in the evening.
One of the students’ mother said that she was happy to have Kushwaha as her daughter’s teachjer and it was a wonder to see the 18-year old achieve this milestone at such a tender age.
“Her religion is the last thing on my mind or any other parents’ that I know,” she said.
Pooja said that a woman Sangeeta Begum had joined their locality. She had a Hindu mother and a Muslim father. She added that Sangeeta used to teach the holy Quran classes to children.
” I became interested in learning the holy Quran and started attending her classes”, she said. ” My progress was ahead of all others in our class.”
The teacher had to discontinue the classes due to personal reasons and she asked me to hold the classes, Pooja said.
“She taught me an important tenant of Islam, that there is no point in gaining knowledge if you don’t share it,” Pooja further said.
The 12-grader went on to say that her classes are for free. Her students come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford to pay and she herself does not want them to pay her either, she said.
Pooja said that the elders in the area offered her temple premises to hold her classes after her house could not accommodate the students, who were increasing by the number.
Nandini, Pooja’s elder sister, also teaches Hindi and Bhagwat Gita to children as well.
Pooja and Nandini’s mother Rani feels proud of her daughters. She added that the students come from poor background and imparting knowledge to them is a great work.
Haji Jamiluddin Qureshi, one of the city’s prominent Muslim figures, has lauded the actions of Pooja. He added that Islam does not forbid anyone from reading or learning the holy book.
