Hyderabad: Religious divides, sectarian preferences and affinity for clans and kinship appear to play too significant a role when it comes to finding a house for rent in most parts of the Old City of Hyderabad.

Not surprisingly, Muslims don’t wish to let out their houses to Hindus or other non-Muslim minorities. What is more, Sunni and Shia families are equally wary of letting out their houses to those from the other sect. Sectarian beliefs and customs appear to come into play most significantly in areas such as Darushifa, Noorkhan Bazar, Dabeerpura, Darajung ke galli and Yakutpura.

‘We cannot let out a house to a Hindu, or any other non-Muslim because we would be wary of their religious practices and rituals. For example, I would be very uncomfortable with idol worship in my house,’ said Sultan Ahmed, a resident of Yakutpura.

The south zone of Hyderabad, which predominantly covers is mostly the Old City, is mostly populated by Muslims, reflecting the history of the city and its growth over its more than 400 years of existence.

But it is clearly not limited to religion alone, given the clear Sunni-Shia divide when it comes to entering into a rental agreement. Sometimes the reasons listed for such a bias are not clear, but the practice itself is very strongly evident.

‘These religious beliefs run strong among people in our areas. In fact, the Sunni-Shia divide is so strong that some of us would rather let a house out to a Hindu than to someone from another section of the Muslim community,’ according to Hassan, a resident of Noorkhan Bazaar.

Meanwhile, in areas such as Pan Mandi and Razakpura, Hindus are equally reluctant to let Muslims as tenants and vice versa, a practice people from both religious communities say has been in place for a very long time.

‘It is not because there is any hate. These are some areas where there is a majority of Hindu houses, while others have Muslim dominance. Many of these have a single entrance. Food habits, need to have rituals regularly, among others, play a key role in this decision making,’ said Vishal Thakur from Pan Mandi.

‘This does not stop us from being friends across communities. It is just about renting out houses or portions of shared houses,’ Mr Thakur said.

‘There is little scope for someone to make an exception based on liberal values. ‘Even if we want to rent out our house to a Hindu, other people in the community would not take to it kindly,’ said Mr Ahmed.

In Purani-Haveli area, whenever someone comes around searching for a house on rent, they are asked about their religion and food habits. Ghulam Ali, who lives in the area, said most people here are comfortable letting out to families from their own religion.

However, in an interesting twist, religion seems less important in areas buzzing with commercial activity, and while letting out shops, offices and non-residential properties in these very areas.

In Mir Alam Mandi, a predominantly commercial area, religion seemed to make no difference even in finding a home on rent. ‘It is the same in Alijah Kotla, another area where you see lots more Hindus and Muslims living together as owners and tenants,’ said Ayub Khan, a resident of Alijah Kotla.

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