Don’t fan Islamophobia to cover failures: Muslim bodies

Nagpur: Several prominent Muslims and their organizations have alleged that the government was attempting to cover up its failure in dealing with lockdown issues and promoting communalism by linking the Covid-19 spread in the country with Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddhin Markaz from March 7 to 9.
Slamming the governments, local administrations and media, the organizations requested them withdraw the "Islamophobic contents".They blamed anti-social elements who are spreading hatred against Muslims even during such a crisis.
In an audio clip that has gone viral, a cleric has laid bare government’s failure in containing the virus spread and said it was silent on religious gatherings in its March 13 order.
They also said there were no travel restrictions till March 24 so how would the Tablighi members know they were not supposed to travel. Later, they got stranded like all other people across the country.
Muslim Students Federation (MSF) president TP Ashrafali and its general secretary SH Muhammed Arshad said in a joint statement that other religious events held till March 25 have not been highlighted like Tablighi one. “The Ramlalla event was held on March 25 led by UP CM Adityanath in Ayodhya in the midst of alarming rise in the number of people affected by Covid-19. Many such political and religious events took place across the country but no accusations have been made against them. Islamophobia is an attempt to cover up the failure of government and to promote the communalism amid chaos of this pandemic,” they said.
MSF demanded the government and media must avoid “such misinformation”.
Jamiat Ulema Hind Nagpur district president (Arshad Madani) Masood Ahmed asked whether the virus attacked after seeing one’s religion. “Every three months there is a jodh which are visits of members from different parts of cities, states, to deliberate over their work in their zones. At the same time, foreigners also reach there. All this information was furnished to local police and authorities. They asked permission to go home but local authorities didn’t allow them. Whose fault is this,” he asked. Ahmed said despite this blame game, Muslims were standing with the government in the fight against Covid-19.
Salman Ahmed, who is coordinating among different Muslim groups, said, “Enemy of communal harmony and fraternity are stoking religious sentiments to cover up own blunders. Most Indian media houses are lighting the fire of enmity and hatred. Instead, let’s fight corona and more importantly starvation crisis in India unitedly without giving it a communal angle, specifically relating it to Tablighi Jamaat, Muslims or other religious groups,” he said adding the credibility of fourth pillar of Constitution was at stake.
Referring to the exodus of migrants, these bodies said, “During migration no one was offended by the religion or caste of those who fled. Actually, many criticized the government’s inability to foresee and handle the migration,” they said.