By M L Satyan

Bengaluru, April 3, 2020: A recent news about six people dying of Covid-19 infection has sent an alarm across India.

There were among thousands who had attended a meeting of the Islamic preachers’ organization known as Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi in March.

Amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown, there were murmurs among Muslims, mostly on social media, that the Nizamuddin incident would be used to target the community.

Soon Twitter and other sites were overrun by posts about “corona jihad” and counter-narratives about how other instances of public gatherings had not received much attention from authorities.

“What the Tablighi Jamaat did was irresponsible. But the government could have at least scanned and stopped the foreign delegates coming from infected countries to join the congregation,” said a 28-year-old, formerly associated with the organization.

He added, “Despite Tablighi Jamaat explaining their situation to authorities at the time, it now feels like the entire community is being portrayed as those who did not understand the gravity of the situation and defied orders to gather there on purpose.”

WhatsApp statuses carrying messages from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) and Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) became rampant. They reflected similar sentiments that “polarisation” amid such a severe health crisis was not needed. According to them the government is trying to hide its own failures.

The Jamaat focuses on educating and encouraging Muslims to practise their religion diligently. The organisation carries out missionary work in a somewhat ‘pyramid sales scheme’ pattern. After learning and understanding sermons from the headquarters, based in the Banglewali Masjid in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area, the local leaders or imams spread out to various mosques globally, each leading a team of 10 or more.

On reaching their target area, they further disperse into smaller groups of four or more. Their campaign is always door-to-door and is mostly about inviting people for Namaz to the local mosque. Those who choose to follow them may get more sermons and teachings about Islam and later are asked to become volunteers.

The Jamia Coordination Committee, a group comprising students and alumni of the popular university, backed the Tablighi center saying: “Their only fault was not abandoning their people unlike the government which abandoned the migrant labourers and left them to die.”

“We will not let the failures of this bigoted government be washed over with Islamophobic fantasies and communal tantrums. We stand with the Nizamuddin Markaz,” it said.

Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a religious and social organisation of Muslims with a strong network of members and scholars across India, slammed the “targeting” of Tablighi Jamaat, saying “bigger and more irresponsible gatherings” (like crowd during Trump’s visit, swearing-in-ceremony of Shivraj in MP, Adityanath Yogi’s worship at Ayodhya) were ignored.

“Playing dirty politics of communal polarization on such a huge health crisis… reflects shamefully low level of our public discourse,” he said. Many commentators say the Hindu right-wing’s tirade against the Muslim seminary was aimed to deflect nationalist government of Bharatya Janata Party’s failure to address the disease.

“Trending of ‘Corona Jihad’ by BJP/Sanghi IT cell is not just a disgusting communal act but also planned strategically to divert public and media attention from humongous disasters by the BJP and Modi government in handling of coronavirus pandemic in India” said a writer and filmmaker Amit Mehra.

One of the ‘Godi Media’ television channel anchors said angrily, “The Muslim group had a clear agenda of converting India into Italy.” See how these Godi media journalists stoop to the lowest level! It is indeed unimaginable.

All those who wish to target the Muslim group must see the failures of the BJP government:

1) When Covid-19 started spreading in China in December, 2019 the BJP government never bothered. The Health Minister said that the spread of the deadly virus was not a health crisis.
2) In early February Rahul Gandhi alerted the Parliament about the forthcoming crisis due to Coronavirus. The Health Minister and other BJP MPs laughed and mocked at Rahul. They also blamed the Gandhi family for spreading unnecessary rumors.
3) Modi-Amit Shah duo never took the spread of Covid-19 seriously. Hence they never had an all party consultation to face the crisis. Even when Modi announced a one-day Janta Curfew he had not realised the seriousness of the situation. He never had any preparatory plan except the clapping, ringing bell and beating plates.
4) Even after the Janta Curfew Modi government did not sit with everyone (including the opposition parties) and do a proper planning. As a result, he announced the national lockdown and never ever foresaw the consequences and the negative impact on the migrant labourers and the poor people.
5) When the exodus of millions of migrant labourers started, the BJP government realized its foolishness and unpreparedness.
6) It is said that when you point one finger at others, the remaining four fingers point at us. Likewise, when the BJP is pointing a finger at the Muslim group, they cleverly try to hide their own failures.
7) The major failures are: Lack of seriousness of the spread of Covid-19 from January, 2020; Unplanned national lockdown; Lack of proper screening at all the major airports in the country; Intelligence’s inability to alert the government about the arrival of foreign nationals under tourist visa to attend the conference; Lethargic attitude of the local police who ignored the conference that was held right under their nose; Delhi government’s lack of proper follow-up of their own instructions on gathering (limiting to 200 people; then limiting to 50 people; then limiting to 5 people).

Should we blame only the Muslim group? No, along with the Muslim group, we must take the politicians, bureaucracy and police to task for their utter failures. Another group to be blamed is the ‘Godi Media’ that is vigorously and purposefully targeting the Muslim group as if they are ‘suicide bombs’ carrying the Covid-19 pandemic all over India.

It is high time the Modi government accepted its failures with humility and take correct measures. Better late than never.