Add source Login
Legacy of faith - Muslim shopkeeper guards history of Fort Kochi's last Jewish store in India

Legacy of faith - Muslim shopkeeper guards history of Fort Kochi's last Jewish store in India

"Thaha Ibrahim, an Indian Muslim shopkeeper, runs an embroidery store in Fort Kochi's 'Jew Town', once owned by Sarah Cohen - one of the area's last permanent Jewish residents - and says he is committed to preserving her legacy. Cohen, who died in 2019 at the age of 94, left a final request, asking Ibrahim to continue running the shop and maintain its traditions. "What we are doing here is a wasiyat (final request). In Islam, a wasiyat is very important. Before a person dies, they may leave instructions," says Thaha. The shop continues to follow Jewish customs: a lamp is lit before 6 pm on Fridays and work stops until Saturday, with the store closed for the Sabbath. Cohen's photos and personal items are still on display inside. "As a Muslim, if someone leaves me a wasiyat and I agree to carry it out, then it becomes my responsibility to fulfill it. If I do not fulfill it after agreeing, I would feel that I am not being true to my word as a Muslim," he acknowledges. Cohen and Ibrahim's relationship went beyond business. Ibrahim recalled that on her final day, as she struggled to breathe, he prepared to take her to the hospital - but she told him to go to Friday prayers first. "'No, no, Tahah. You first go to the mosque.' She told me, you go to the mosque and said, 'I don't have a problem.' 'You go to the mosque.' Because after 12.30, if I go to the mosque, I will miss my Friday prayers," Ibrahim recalled. "When I came back, she was alive for ten minutes. If I had delayed, I wouldn’t have seen her alive," he added. Ibrahim, a devout Muslim, sees honouring Cohen's wishes as part of his own faith. "Those who have studied Islamic law will not blame me. Those who do not understand Islam may say that what I am doing is wrong. What Islam teaches is about belief. If I believe in Islam, if someone tells me something, it is 100% my responsibility to do it. If I fail to do it, then I am not being true to my faith," he adds. Jews have lived in Kerala for over two thousand years, known as the Cochin Jews and settled primarily in Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, though the community declined sharply after the mid-20th century."