This is not to defend a Muslim gathering.In the last two pieces, I have been critical of our mosques being open forobligatory prayers during this Pandemic, let alone any Tableeghi Jamaat. I wishthere was no congregation at Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Masjid. However, the Indianmedia – with its teeming millions of receptive audience communalized even thedisease. Some irresponsible commentators went to the extent of calling it a’pre-planned Jihad on Hindus’- as if calling a Muslim-only-gathering would havehelped them achieve it. An average Indian Hindu has been made so adept toIslamophobia, that s/he somehow loses ability to reason, the moment anythinganti-Muslim pops on the TV. Such is their incredulity that they don’t want togive benefit of doubt to the other party.
As per the BBC, this is Tableegh’s annualevent, which commenced on March 3rd. Until 13th March, the Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare had maintained that the Covid-19 situation was not a healthemergency (Scroll). The Indian government issued visas to the foreign attendeesof this conference, and let them enter the country without screening, when sucha disaster in Malaysia had already taken place on 28th February. This wasalso a Tableegh event that resulted in spread of this disease in that country.
Moreover, the organizers have come up withdocumented evidence that they had informed multiple authorities about thepeople who were stuck in there, and sought vehicles from them to evacuate theattendees. These people were clearly stuck, and were not hiding. This was agovernmental and administrative laxity. Even a celebrated Islamophobe –Subramanyam Swami questioned his own government as to why the flight-ban wasnot imposed early. He tweeted and I quote “The Tabligh mess would not havehappened If foreigners were banned coming early (around Feb 1) and also Indiansreturning/coming to India were compulsory quarantined for 14 days kept inacquired hotels near the airport this mess would not have arisen. Why was thisban delayed?”. You could not expect the Tableegh leadership to cancel theevent mid-way when the government’s official stance was that Corona was NOT ahealth emergency.
Besides, at multiple occasions, gatheringswere held by other people in India. On April 2nd, The Hindu reported a storytitled ”Defying lockdown, devotees in Bengal assemble at temples on RamNavami”. Thaali-Taali hippodrome is known to all as well. Would any mediaoutlet muster courage to relate this lackadaisical attitude to Hindu religion?In fact, this is not about courage. This is about what sells. I don’t have muchagainst these media houses who are unethical business houses. I have complaintswith the most people of India who want to see divisive reporting and enjoy it.This shoots up the TRP ratings for these channels, and they, like any otherbusiness, milk it as much as possible.