COVID-19 –IS THIS INFECTIOUS VIRUS HAS MADE FOREIGNERS SPACEGOAT FOR FOLLOWING THEIR RELIGION BY INVOLVING THEMSELVES IN RELIGIOUS CONGREGATION COMMONLY KNOWN AS TABLIGHI JAMAAT?

At the onset of COVID-19 in India, the Government had announced a complete lockdown on 24^th March 2020. The initiative was taken with a strategy of curbing the spread of the infectious virus into communities or across India.

The main question arises is that if complete lockdown was done by Government then how this virus got support to travel across the country?

If you have a keen eye on the news from starting of April, you are going to point out that Tablighi Jamaat is responsible for this. What is this Tablighi Jamaat? How it is related to the spread of Coronavirus?

It was set up nearly 100 years ago by Deobandi Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ily-as-Khandhalawi in Mewat, India, in 1926, as a religious reform movement.As its name suggests, Al-Kandhlawi’s goal was to establish a group of preachers who were dedicated toward Muslim revivalist society, who could revive “true” Islam, which he saw was not being practiced by many Muslims. The slogan Al-Kandhlawi coined for his new organization captured the nature/spirit of its activities — “Oh Muslims, become true Muslims”.

A completely non-political movement, the Jamaat aims at propagating basic tenets of Islam espoused by Prophet Mohammed – Kalimah (declaration of faith), Salat (five times prayers), Ilm-o-Zikr (knowledge), Ikraam-e-Muslim (Respect of Muslim), Ikhlas-e-Niyyat (Sincerity of intention) and Tafrigh-i-Waqt (sparing time). The focus of the organization was not on converting people from other faiths into Islam. Rather, it is focussed on ‘purifying’ the Muslim faith. The organization has a loose structure.The Emir is the leader of the international movement and is always related to the group’s founder Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi. The current leader, Maulana-Saad-Kandhalvi, is the grandson of the founder.

The movement was never viewed adversely by the Indian government. But the TablighiJamaat has been banned in some Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, whose governments see its puritanical preachings as extremist.

Is it influential until today? Is the aim with which Jamat was formed is persistent with time?

The organization grew fast in British India. In its annual conference held in November 1941, some 25,000 people attended. After Partition, it grew stronger in Pakistan and East Pakistan (lately Bangladesh). But, Considered as an influential spiritual movement in the world, Now, Tablighi’s largest national wing is in Bangladesh. The group has a presence in 150 countries and millions of followers.

Still, the members of Jamaat only work among Muslims teaching those ways of life practiced by Prophet Mohammed. At the congregation, various small groups of preachers are constituted with a senior among them as their leaders. These groups visit designated destinations through mosques to spread Islamic practices among Muslims.

Well, you might be thinking why they became a Centre of attraction in April? If everything is fine with their aim and purpose what was the main problem?

The main problem is the COVID-19 and viral nature of it. A global evangelical Muslim organization conducted a meeting in Malaysia in February 2020, when travel restrictions due to the outbreak of COVID-19 were not in place in India.

In April 2020, more than 620 people connected to the four-day conclave have tested positive in Malaysia, prompting the country to seal its borders until the end of the month. Most of the 73 coronavirus cases in Brunei are tied to the gathering, as are 10 cases in Thailand. At least three coronavirus deaths have been linked to the event," stated the report.

The event in Delhi was from March 10-13. The Union Health Ministry on March 13 said that coronavirus is not an emergency and people need not panic. The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Almost 1000+ people across the world have attended this meeting with valid visas and permission of the Indian Government. 

The same organization which held a gathering in Delhi’s NizamuddinMarkaz (center) had a number of its members test positive for the viral disease. Preachers and people from Malaysia and Indonesia were said to have been at Nizamuddin for this congregation. This led to the area being sealed by the Delhi authorities. A number of people are quarantined.

What is the after Consequence?

On 18 April 2020, the Health Ministry stated that 30% of Cases in India are related to TablighiJamaat’sMarkaz event held in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area in March. On that day itself, 14,378 coronaviruses (COVID-19) infections reported in the country, so far, 4,291 cases in 23 States and Union Territories are linked. Let us analyze the data. The data of April 2020, of several states, are as under:-

·       In Delhi, 24 people who were at the event have tested positive.

·       Health authorities in Tamil Nadu are tracking down around 1,500 people who were at the Delhi conference. 57 of those who have been tracked down so far have tested positive.

·       The first COVID-19 death in Jammu & Kashmir was of a man who attended the congregation.

·       The only coronavirus case reported in Arunachal Pradesh till now is related to the Markaz event.

·       Similarly, 32 of the 35 cases reported in Assam was linked with this meeting.

·       10 out of 12 cases from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are linked to the same congregation.

After reading this Data, Now you are thinking that this Congregation is the whole sole responsible for the spread of the infectious virus across the country. The answer to this question is vague. How action was taken in April 2020? (Apart from quarantining People)

Firstly, The Mumbai Police requested the TablighiJamaat members to approach the BMC and inform it about their travel details or face action.Later, the BMC lodged a police complaint following which a case was registered against 29Foreigners along with Six Indians—including trustees at Masjids—was booked as well for allegedly sheltering the foreign nationals, under Indian Penal Code Sections 269 (whoever willfully or negligently does any act which is likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) and other relevant provisions.

The August 21 HC judgment quashed the FIRs against them as well. Justice Nalawade in the judgment pulled up the media for their “unwarranted” propaganda against the “so-called religious activities” observing that print and electronic media ran propaganda against the foreigners who attended the Markaz. He noted, “an attempt was made to create a picture that these foreigners were responsible for spreading COVID-19 virus in India,” The court observed, “The allegations against the Tablighi members suggest that instead of helping them we lodged them in jails by making allegations that they are responsible for violation of travel documents, they are responsible for spreading of the virus, etc." Speaking about the media coverage of the Jamaat members and the Markaz, the HC said, it was “high time the concerned, repent about this action taken against the foreigners and take some positive steps to repair the damage done by such action.”

Quashing the cases against the foreigners who attended the Jamaat, the division bench noted, “Maharashtra police acted mechanically, under political compulsion and on such instructions probably of the executive.” In June and August, the high courts of Madras and Karnataka respectively quashed similar proceedings against those who had participated in the March jamaat. The Madras HC had noted that the foreigners had "suffered enough for their transgression of the law" and has a "right to return to their native countries at the earliest opportunity".

The court observed that the Tablighi Jamaat activity has been going on for more than 50 years and that it has to be presumed that the central Government was aware of it while granting a visa to the foreigners to attend the conference at NizamuddinMarkaz at NEW DELHI.

The court stated that the members of TablighiJamaat were made “Scapegoats”. Considering the current number of cases in India, the action against these members are Unwarranted. "A political government tries to find the scapegoat when there is pandemic or calamity and the circumstances show that there is a probability that these foreigners were chosen to make them a scapegoat," the court said in its order.

The bench noted that the Maharashtra police acted mechanically in the present matter and the state government acted under “political compulsion”.

CONCLUSION

According to the author, TablighiJamaat members have become an easy target on social media. They have been accused of “spreading the virus” and being “careless”. With social media and some TV channels fuelling hatred against Muslims, the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, and Maharashtra have warned people against communalizing the issue and painting one community as the perpetrator.

The Aurangabad bench of Bombay High is correct by stating that “members of TablighiJamaat were made “Scapegoats”. 

GURNEET KAUR

BBA LLB (H)

ICFAI UNIVERSITY, DEHRADUN

Disclaimer: This article is the personal opinion of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any Indian Government or any other Government of the world.