By Syed Qamar Hasan
Hyderabad: Muslim religious(ulema, scholars) political, social, and business community failed in showing courage and wisdom by not taking an independent and timely decision to close down mosques and other religious institutions before the Modi government’s hurried order to lockdown the country on March 24th on short notice to stop the spread of deadly Covid-19 virus.
Medical experts, doctors disapprove opening of worship places
Providence has bestowed an opportunity to the Ulemas and political leadership to make up for the lost opportunity and this time around show, boldness wisdom, pragmatism, and religious sagacity and make a decision, they could not take earlier and impress upon the faithful to keep away from mosques for at least another two to three weeks till the life-threatening Novel Corno Virus subsides, currently, it is but peaking alarmingly. Medical experts and doctors are concerned and disapproved of the opening of Mosques and other worship places. They say the virus will continue to keep course spiking and flattening at times till a final cure is found which is a distant possibility in the meantime strict measures have to be in place. The easing of lockdown will aggravate the situation. There is a noticeable and worrying shortage of hospital beds and PPE even the front-line warriors are at risk. According to media reports over 40 percent of the total deaths, 26 percent of total cases were recorded in Telangana in the past seven days. Reports confirm that 14 deaths were recorded on Sunday, the highest number in any single day in the state.
Standard Operating Procedure
The announcement by some mosques that they will be opening for regular prayers maintaining Standard Operating Procedures SOP, is an unsustainable excuse, that will not stand when an over-enthusiastic crowd of Musallees (prayees) starved of the blessings of praying in the congregation for about eight or nine weeks will rush to mosques with a vengeance.
To say that Police will be called to maintain SOP if the situation gets out of hand lacks wisdom.
By their own eschatological beliefs what will be the criteria to allow the suggested 25 or 50 from the hundreds that would throng the mosques.
Social distancing, washing hands with soap, asking Musallees to ablute at home, removing carpets, etc are just precautionary measures and not a hundred percent protective of the pandemic. Proximity is fodder to Covid-19. Proximity is a must for prayees to maintain during five mandatory prayers in normal times. Muslims should be made to realize that these are not normal times. Any carelessness in maintaining social distancing can result in the recasting of the Tablighi-Nizamuddin Markaz episode with new actors and new allegations and blames. That damning stigma upon the community has not yet been completely removed and forgotten. It erupts every now and then causing fresh fears of reprisal from the right-wing Bhakts. The very recent hate rantings by one Dr. Lalchandani against Tablighi Jamaat and apparently against the Muslim community is still making rounds.
Our so-called political leaders, who often lionize paltry matters are shying away for electoral returns from appealing to their constituencies to stay back from mosques. Our religious elite scared of harming their populous standing are stilting the walk, lackadaisical as usual in coming out clear and sound on the issue. The Goa Waqf Board has decided not to open mosques for another two weeks. Jeddah, the Red Sea Port city lockdown has been reinstated and mosques closed. Hyderabad’s’ historic mosque Mecca Masjid has decided not to open until further notice. South Africa, has one percent Muslims, is facing a serious problem as mosques opened up for Eid and Covid-19 cases spiked causing an extreme shortage of beds.
Our religious leadership has to shoulder the responsibility with courage and wisdom and to stop dilly-dallying as they had done earlier by dragging the decision to the last until the government order came to their rescue to close down mosques as the pandemic spread in the city.
This time around both the political and religious leadership must come out now and work to make the community understand the good in delaying the opening of mosques by another two or three weeks.
Syed Qamar Hasan