New Delhi: The relentless communalisation of the spread of COVID-19 in India, in the wake of the revelation that a religious convention had resulted in thousands contracting the coronavirus, has led another collective to condemn the public, government and media’s reaction.
The Bebaak Collective, a Mumbai group which focuses on campaigns for and by marginalised women against fundamentalism, has released a statement criticising the “highly unfortunate” communalisation and criminalisation of Muslims. The collective has been clear in that while it does not endorse or support any of the views held by the Tablighi Jamaat, it is concerned about the vilification of the entire community.
In sections of its statement, as most other critiques of the reaction against Muslims have done, the collective points out that the Delhi government’s March 13 order banning congregations had left out religious gatherings.
“It was only on March 16 that the Delhi government issued a notification to close all religious institutions. The matter came to light only on March 30 when the news broke that six individuals who had attended the conference died of COVID-19,” the collective noted.
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Pointing to the lackadaisical attitude of the administration in tracking down the attendees, the statement also noted the other clear violations that took place in the rest of India at the same time when the congregation had met.
“A number of social and political developments took place during the same timeframe in different parts of the country most notably the coup in Madhya Pradesh planned by the BJP, the swearing in ceremony of Shivraj Singh Chauhan on March 23 that attracted a large number of people despite Prime Minister Modi’s clear indications to practise “social distancing”.
On March24 , the CM of Uttar Pradesh… [took] part in a religious ceremony at Ayodhya along with hundreds of people,” it said, adding that the same Yogi government has also invoked the stern National Security Act (NSA) against a few Tablighi Jamaat members for allegedly violating quarantine directives in Ghaziabad, “which is biased, discriminatory and extremely unjust.”
The statement also listed fake news on discriminatory lines.
“In Raipur, fake news of a Tablighi Jamaat youth misbehaving with doctors and staff went viral on social media. The Raipur MP Sunil Soni claimed that the boy created “trouble-making” scenes the moment he entered the hospital. However, AIIMS Raipur came out with a statement denying any such conduct by the boy.”
Television news channels have used derogatory and communal catchphrases, the statement noted, saying that they dehumanise the Muslim community.
“It is a matter of concern that the other potential hotspots and existing hotspots are not being given the same attention at testing facilities. Instead, the high number of confirmed cases from Tablighi Jamaat is being used to spread hatred against the community.”
“Instead of spreading animosity using hashtags like #CoronaJihad, we need to strive together to fight the pandemic,” the statement says.