New Delhi: “Avoid going out for prayers and gatherings,” 46-year- old Saira* from Farukhabad has been telling her relatives ever since the lockdown was imposed across the country in view of coronavirus spread. Over the last few weeks, she has been requesting her family and friends to avoid going out for Eid shopping. Keep the celebrations as simple as possible, she tells them. It's not just Coronavirus that Saira fears. It's fake news and a lived reality.
The outbreak of Covid-19 in India has presented yet another opportunity to launch a fresh attack on the Muslim community with the news that people who had attended a large gathering of Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary movement, in New Delhi had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The Sunni Islamic missionary movement group came into limelight in April after over 3,000 members, including foreign nationals, had gathered at Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin for a congregation in March. Hundreds of the Tablighi Jamaat members later tested positive for coronavirus. This incident triggered a wave of disdain against the Muslims who were dubbed as ‘super-spreaders’ of the virus. Fake news saying the Tablighi Jamaat members were misbehaving with the staff at quarantine facilities or that they were spitting on fruits to spread the virus further fuelled the fire. There was a sudden surge in Islamophobic hashtags and social media posts. This triggered incidents of discrimination and even violence against Muslims across the country.
The subsequent media coverage of Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin among other incidents has compelled Muslims to take cautious steps in their daily life as they fear that even the slightest deviation may be used against the entire community. The festival of Eid (celebrated at the end of the holy month of Ramzan) is a day away and for the past couple of weeks, the conversations have been mostly about how not to be noticed.
A year ago, Saira wasn’t very politically aware. The recent news has made her more conscious of her identity and the stereotypes against Muslims.
WhatsApp and Twitter are being used to drive home the message of keeping the celebrations low-key and avoiding social gatherings.
“It’s our duty to take precautionary steps to avoid any social outrage against Muslims and also remind the entire nation that Muslims are as vigilant and responsible as any other corona warriors in India in order to safeguard our society. Eid is some days away and it’s very obvious that Muslim pockets pan India may witness social gatherings in the last week of Ramadan. Media houses and other agencies may use such clips to further malign the image of Muslims and portray us in a bad light in the ongoing global corona pandemic,” reads one of the Whatsapp forwards asking people to join Twitter trend encouraging people to stay at home on Eid.
Screenshot of the WhatsApp message
Soon after coronavirus cases were detected from Markaz, media reports called it ‘corona jihad’-- the incident was shown as a deliberate attempt to spread the contagious virus across the country.
The apprehension among many is that the images of Muslims going out for Eid shopping may also be used to deviate attention from major issues like the migrant crisis. “The testing rate is low for now and the number of cases seems artificially low. If there is a spike in the cases later, Muslims can again become the easy targets to pass the buck,” says Akram*, a Delhi-based consultant.
The month of Ramzan began on April 25 and keeping in mind the lockdown norms, none of the mosques held congregational prayers. Delhi’s iconic Jama Masjid and the adjoining area of Old Delhi, which brims with celebration and food during the Ramzan, wore a deserted look for the entire month in view of lockdown.
Meanwhile, Muslims religious bodies and scholars in India have also asked people to avoid mass gatherings in view of the virus. Deputy Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Delhi asked everyone to offer Eid namaz from their homes only and follow government guidelines to avoid the risk of virus transmission.
The deputy Imam in a statement said, “We cannot allow any congregations in courtyards and parks as it will expose people to an increased risk of contracting the virus. Hence, we urge you to offer holy prayers of Jamat-ul-Vida, Namaz-e-Eid from your homes. I would also like to request all citizens, especially the Muslim community, to abide by the lockdown mandates and help the poor and destitute persons during this period, and pray to the almighty to help keep everyone safe and evade this pandemic.”
Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa asking Muslims to offer their Eid prayers this time at home, instead of congregating at mosques. Similar directives have come from religious organisations across the world. The Muslim Council of Britain has asked people to celebrate Eid from home, and virtually with friends and family. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey have ordered curfews to avoid gathering on Eid.
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