Tablighi issue: How criticism of irresponsible behaviour was given a communal turn

Around the world there have been heartening scenes of ordinary people locked up in their homes, leaning out of windows and balconies, applauding health workers.

In New York, a city besieged by the coronavirus deaths, the heroes of another significant tragedy, 9/11, stood outside a hospital, their fire trucks lined up against the road and waited for shift change. As the doctors and nurses exited the hospital, these heroes applauded another set of present day heroes. It was a moving display of solidarity.

In India, at the urging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we stood in our homes and by windows and clapped for health workers, my octogenarian grandmother -- a severe asthmatic -- blew the conch, ushering in a battle against an invisible enemy.

The prime minister shared that tweet on his Twitter handle, a memory she will cherish. There was bonhomie, a spirit of togetherness at an uncertain time. No one knew then how it would all turn out and no one knows now, but there was solidarity and hope, essential ingredients for this fight.

The prime minister seemed to intuitively understand, despite the heckling from the usual suspects, this show of solidarity lifted the spirits of a fearful nation, for those few moments, we were all part of something together, despite being isolated.

The positive psychological impact of such moments of solidarity have been articulated by those who possess scientific and sociological authority, as an Indian, my heart swelled with pride.

The previous months leading up to a general election and then a high profile electoral battle in New Delhi followed by sectarian violence had been divisive. Here was a fight brought on by a ruthless enemy that spared no one, irrespective of religion, economic status or gender. Would this bring us together?

However, the solidarity was temporary, a religious event by the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi’s Nizamuddin proved to be a super spreader, as state after state announced infections linked to the event, now referred to as a ‘single source’ event.

Prior to the Tablighis, the Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor was public enemy number one for having been at large parties prior to testing positive after returning from London. The contact tracing carried out in her case, led to Members of Parliament and right into the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The nation was agog with what they perceived to be blatant entitlement, and social media and mainstream media were immersed in the discussion. Few had kind words for her.

Then came the Tablighis: the scale of the gathering was mind-boggling; not only were there participants from all over India but attendees from many foreign countries, some of whom were said to be radical preachers.

What further exacerbated the situation was the lack of cooperation the Jamaatis displayed in the aftermath of being identified as an ‘At risk’ group.

Media reportage and public outrage were incessant as well, as it had been with Kanika Kapoor. But whilst the latter was the case of but one individual who submitted to quarantine and testing, the Jamaatis posed multiple challenges all over the country.

A paranoid nation -- isn’t every nation at this time -- locked in at home witnessed events from Bihar to Tamil Nadu that cemented apprehensions about the Tablighis. Reports of misbehaviour in hospitals, attacks on hospital staff and the police, pelting stones, urinating, defecating, spitting, etc.

The utter irresponsibility of their spiritual leader Maulana Saad, who immediately went into hiding, was another area of grave irresponsibility and dereliction.

If he was in hiding, why wouldn’t his followers be? Had they not been there at his bidding despite him receiving advice to not hold the markaz? The sheer arrogance of the man had endangered not only his followers but the country.

As reports of misbehaviour continued to pour in and state government after state government started setting deadlines for the markaz attendees to come forward or face persecution, public perception about the group cemented for the worse.

It was the worst possible outcome and was further exacerbated by the defence of the Tablighis by some voluble co-religionists and identity politics peddlers who dismissed all accounts of bad behaviour and pulled out the victim card, even to the extent of calling nurses who complained of vulgar behaviour, liars!

It was unfathomable why those who ‘self-identify’ as progressive and champion ‘I believe you’ when women have the courage to complain of sexual harassment were so quick to call women ‘liars’ because the accused happened to be Muslims?

The self-aggrandising instinct to be perceived as ‘secular’ meant providing cover for bad behaviour on multiple occasions and did little to douse the fire, but further crystallized fault lines.

In this unfortunate battle of opinions, the anger against Tablighis and their deception with the authorities, as well as the illogical and robust defence, gave cause to some to target Muslims (most have nothing to do with the markaz event).

An unfair response and a self-defeating stigmatisation that doesn’t help fight pandemics, but prolongs them, this has happened before during the AIDS and Ebola pandemics.

The Tablighis are under fire not only in India but also in Malaysia and Pakistan, both Muslim majority nations, where they have played a similar role during this deadly pandemic. How is that explained?

The ‘Islamophobia’ card cannot be used to silence valid criticism of irresponsible and bad behaviour, especially during a devastating pandemic. It just won’t work, and hasn’t.

The road forward is for the authorities to prevail on Maulana Saad, pull him out of hiding so that he doesn’t present such an irresponsible example for his followers, check the media for its incessant coverage of COVID-19 ‘suspects’ turning contact tracing into a manhunt, and swiftly prosecute those who endanger the lives of others.

Muslim scholars, rather than pulling out the victim card, should condemn the irresponsible actions of the Jamaatis and appeal for co-operation. But none of this is happening.

Instead sides have been picked and we are now back in our silos, where I am afraid this forced isolation will keep us.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. These opinions do not reflect the views of Yahoo and Yahoo neither endorses nor assumes any responsibility or liability for the same.

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