I was doing my weekly Red Flag distribution with my friend. We went to a mostly Muslim working-class area. The largest mosque in New Delhi is nearby. Walking home, we saw a group of young men collecting money at the mosque gate. People were emptying their pockets. They formed lines, eager to donate.
As we got closer, we saw that the young men wore T-shirts with a picture of a young woman holding her baby. We found out that the woman had gone to a public hospital. The doctor told her that the baby had a rare autoimmune disease. The cost to treat her would be $100,000. (9.6 crore Rupees, 1.6 million Rand) The baby had six months to live if she did not get the treatment. The mother turned out to be a very poor Hindu woman. When she asked for help in a Hindu temple, they kicked her out.
In desperation, she approached the people entering the mosque. The worshipers started donating money. Some young men took the lead, created a T-shirt, and publicized the cause. The word spread like wildfire. Everyone said, “Baby Jaishvi is our daughter.” The same day, the masses had donated $800,000. The woman was in tears at the Muslims’ generosity.
The next day, we went back to the mosque to make contact and donate money. We asked people why they were emptying their pockets so generously.
“The BJP administration bulldozed our houses and shops,” one said. “We were homeless. Our kids were hungry and homeless. So, it is our duty to help Jaishvi. She is our daughter.” We showed him the Red Flag. He was very interested in the article about Palestine. He introduced us to many men who had come to pray there.
“I know Gaza. That is why I am donating what I have for Jaishvi,” another said. “In Gaza, they are bombing hospitals after they bomb babies.” He was very agitated by the genocide in Gaza. He was even more disgusted because the Modi government has banned donating any money to Gaza relief.
“Modi and Netanyahu are the same animals. Modi bulldozes us here, and Netanyahu does it on a large scale in Palestine,” he said. We showed him Red Flag and our Palestine pamphlet. We talked about how only communism can get rid of the capitalist system that thrives on genocides, racism, and sexism. He took all the copies of our pamphlet for the mosque and also kept Red Flag.
We will visit these fine men. Their generosity and concern for Gaza show that we need to reach out to many people like him. Now we have a base in the mosque for communism.
—Comrade in New Delhi (India)