India needs to defeat communalism and Covid-19


News reports in India not only talk about the fight against the Covid-19 but they also discuss in the same breath the anti-Muslim environment that has engulfed the country

The concept of  social distancing that was meant to maintain a physical gap between individuals has taken the form of the social ostracisation of Muslims in some parts of the country

Recently, an Islamic missionary group called the Tablighi Jamaat held their seminar in Delhi, at a time when the coronavirus was gaining a foothold in India

The gathering resulted in the outbreak of hundreds of coronavirus cases across India which were linked back to the meeting

Since many individuals from across India and the world attended the weeks long congregation, this resulted in not only the attendees being infected but also led to them carrying the virus to other localities, cities, and countries when they travelled

 This particular incident came to light after nine infected people in the Andaman and Nicobar islands revealed their links to the Tablighi Jamaat

Additionally, the nationwide locked announced on March 24th had left many of the attendees with no option but to remain holed up inside the building, which is why 2500 people were still inside the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters

These revelations, and the infections which had been passed on as a result, came as a shock to a nation trying to implement a strict lockdown

Undeniably, the Tablighi Jamaat made a grave mistake and risked many lives in the process

It is still not clear exactly how many cases of coronavirus are linked to this gathering, but so far the authorities estimate that more than 1000 cases in India are a result of the congregation

However, the media reports and fake videos which appeared after the incident tried to blame the Muslim community alone for the spread of the virus

Talk-show hosts and a strong section of the print media turned the entire coronavirus debate into a war against India’s Muslim

Suddenly the pandemic was seen by some as a ‘Muslim virus’ meant to destroy ‘Hindu India’

As a result, containment of the virus took the shape of containment of Muslims in many areas

 A fake video showing Muslims apparently defying the quarantine and misbehaving with medical personnel only further consolidated the anti-Muslim sentiment in the country

Muslim vendors in some areas were stopped from selling their products inside predominantly Hindu localities

 Discrimination against Muslims is now also taking place in Indian hospitals, with a government hospital in Gujarat now segregating patients based on religion

Hence, the existing lack of trust many Muslims in the country have against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has only been further accentuated

Given the inability of the government to counter this narrative, we are now at a stage where a substantial chunk of Hindus in India blame Muslims for the virus

Some analysts believe that since the government failed to properly implement the nationwide lockdown, which resulted in migrant workers across India coming out onto the streets out of desperation, the media played the communal card in order to protect the government from criticism

The question has also been raised about the lack of attention given to similar kinds of transgressions by other religious groups and spiritual gurus in the country

The growing distrust between Hindu and Muslims comes on the heels of the recent violence in Delhi, where more than 50 people lost their lives, mostly Muslims

The violence was a retaliation against the protests by Indians who oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)

Minorities also fear the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), which aims to find all the ‘genuine citizens of India’

Muslims fear that if their names are not mentioned in the NRC then they will be expelled from the country while members of Hindu communities would find protection under CAA

It is increasingly evident that the economic impact of the coronavirus on India will be devastating and could result in mass unemployment

It may take years to tackle the economic fallout left in the wake of this crisis

But a divided nation debilitates any efforts to regroup and battle this pandemic

The virus of communalism threatens India’s secular and liberal identity

A majoritarian India should be feared just as much as a pandemic, and the country cannot afford to live with either one of them



Date:19-Apr-2020 Reference:View Original Link