Noida: Adarsh Group of builders is promoting the apartments – Gulistaan Golf View Heights – as “dream homes for elite Muslim brotherhood” in in Greater Noida.
According to a news report, the apartments – 368 in all, priced at between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,750 per sq feet – are coming up on 5 acres in Sports City. With the construction likely to begin by end of September it plans to have a mosque, a madrassa, and will face Qibla – the direction a Muslim faces when offering prayers.
Questions are being raised on whether this is an attempt at creating high-end ghettoes. But equally, some see this as a practical solution in a country where it is still often difficult for Muslims to rent or buy houses.
“These are going to be dream houses for Muslims in Sports City,” said Saleem Zafar, owner and CEO of Adarsh Group. “We have been able to make it a reality after a long struggle. A lot of our emotions are invested in this because we wish to give the Muslims of India an opportunity to experience a best-in-class living experience. They should move out from their colonies and shift into plush apartments like this.”
Despite the high sales pitch, not all Muslims find the idea exciting. “Being a Muslim myself, I don’t want to live in an all-Muslim apartment complex,” said Professor Shahid Jamal, head of the communications department at Shiv Nadar University. “Why should anyone prefer to live within a community of the same religion? Isn’t that what ghettoes are all about?” he added.
But some welcome the idea as many Muslim families find it hard to rent houses in certain areas of Delhi as many landlords have reservations to rent to Muslims.
“We are very clear that by building Muslim-only apartments, our intention is to provide the Muslims of NCR a high-quality living experience, which is friendly to their culture. People of different communities have different lifestyles and an apartment with a mosque and madrassa would definitely be a great experience for the Muslim families who can afford to buy these flats. This is just a step towards the development of the community,” Zafar told the Times of India.