India is a country with 1.3 billion inhabitants, possessing non-identical religious beliefs. With the outburst of COVID-19, where the entire humanity is pushed to the threshold of its life, India still can’t find a way to seal those ‘religious-bias’ cracks.
The outburst of Coronavirus in India has paved the way for yet another communal hatred psyche, precisely against the Muslims. It all began when the news unfurled that the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in New Delhi had been tested positive for coronavirus. The attendees were not just the Indians, but also foreign internationals. It was discovered that the Jamaatees came on a Tourist Visa, rather than a Missionary Visa. This so-called “super-spreader” cult also resisted treatment, spat on doctors, and laced into the health-care staff.
Having said that, it created an impression that the whole Muslim community is the culprit. Physical, verbal, and psychological conflicts versus the Muslims accelerated their ostracisation in Indian society. Violent attacks were carried out in different parts of the country. Muslim vendors were asked to stop selling on the streets.
Islamophobic hashtags like #coronajihad, #NizamuddinIdiots, #TablighiJamaatVirus precipitated on social media. False information spread online and via WhatsApp nitro-boosted the anti-Muslim narrative. Videos showing Muslims licking utensils, spitting on fruits and vegetables, etc. surfaced on social media, which eventually turned out to be fake. False content targeting Muslims spread faster than the virus itself.
What added fuel to fire was the media? The left-inclined newspaper, The Hindu published a caricature depicting the world being captive by coronavirus; with the virus itself wearing Muslim-associated attire.
“Who called it ‘Journalism’ and not ‘Gossip-mongering’?”
Apart from the Markaz, various other congregations took place, which went unnoticed. Baldev Singh, a preacher, who had travelled to Italy and Germany before stepping into Punjab, showed symptoms of the virus. But, despite putting himself in self-quarantine, he kept on organizing congregations. Besides this, he also turned up at the Hola Mohalla congregation with tonnes of people in Anandpur Sahib. Something similar was to happen in Ayodhya where CM Yogi Adityanath planned a week-long celebration on the auspicious occasion of Ramnavmi, which was eventually brought down when the lockdown was announced on the night of 24th March. Yet, the same night, he went to Ayodhya, held an event that broke all the norms of social distancing.
Also, in the second week of March, commemorating an electoral triumph in the state of Madhya Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party conducted a rally in the streets disobeying social distancing orders.
Yet, the media continued spewing venom by linking the upsurge in COVID-19 cases to the Tablighi Jamaat only.
Did the Jamaatees behave recklessly? Without giving it a second thought, YES! But do all of the 200 million Muslims of India be held responsible for their behavior? No, not at all.
Whilst the Tablighi Jamaat is not the only religious sect or group in India that has ignored the social distancing mandate across the length and breadth of the country, it is the only one that has been singled out as a scapegoat. While the anti-Muslim bigots have used Corona Virus as a barrage to demean the Muslim community, the pandemic itself has revealed their bigotry.
India is a nation where every issue, either political or non-political, either religious or non- religious is politicized and a communal angle is added to it. India is a diverse nation, where people practice different religions, speak different languages. We are a secular country. But, for once, let’s just be honest, and ask ourselves, “Are we secular enough?”
Written by: Shriharsh Mohril
Literary sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52147260
https://time.com/5815264/coronavirus-india-islamophobia-coronajihad/
Image sources:
Image 2: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_pj_dpn7QM/?igshid=17rpl5f1764g9
Image 3: www.intercept.com