Qadian - home to Swiss couple for 17 years
DiggQADIAN: Influenced by the teachings of Ahmadiyya Islam, a Swiss couple not only embraced the faith but also decided to shun their European lifestyle to shift to Qadian, a small township in Gurdaspur district, which also houses the faith’s headquarters in India.
Manuvena, now Sara Camastral, and husband Jurg aka Mehboob-ul-Haq Camastral, had converted to Islam about two and a half decades ago in Switzerland before finally heading for Qadian about 17 years ago. They mixed with the local population, constructed a house and parented seven children, including five daughters who strictly adhere to the faith and wear the burqa to attend prayers at the mosque. Neither Sara nor the girls object to the veil.
“Burqa is a not a restriction for us; it gives us a feeling of wearing decent clothes and being safe,” said Sara. Her 17-year-old daughter, Tahira, who has just finished high school, doesn’t feel out of place among family and friends when she holidays in Switzerland with her scarf.
The couple, whose eldest daughter Sadiqa, is soon to get married in Qadian, have kept traditional European architecture alive in their house. Their ovens keep the thick walls of raw bricks warm in winters, well-ventilated rooms are for cool summers and underground halls for guests.
The family rears cows, besides making organic manure to cultivate some vegetables for their use. Sons Mohammad Ismile and Ibrahim Ahmad help out their father, who spends time here as well as abroad, in his construction business in Switzerland.
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