With the release of Tabligh Jamaat (TJ) members by a Delhi court sometime back, there has been a surfeit of condemnation of those who dared to criticise the Tabligh Jamaat for holding its religious gathering during the onset of the corona pandemic. It is being argued that all those who condemned the TJ must now apologise as the courts have not found them guilty. However, amidst this cacophony, there is a need to separate the vilification of TJ (which must be called out) and the putrid speeches delivered by its chief vehemently negating the dangers of the pandemic and putting many lives at risk.

Let us start with the larger narrative spun around the Tabligh Jamaat which was deeply disturbing. This narrative expressly targeted the TJ (and by extension all Muslims) for spreading the virus. Let us not forget that the government and the media targeted the Muslim community, scapegoating them in order to link the community with the spread of the virus. Just like medieval Europe had blamed the Jews for the plague, the Hindu Right weaponized a virus to target the Muslim community. Whereas, the world over, the virus flattened any distinction of caste, creed and colour; in India, it (the virus) was given an Islamic identity.

At many levels therefore, the role of the media and the government was nothing sort of criminal when it came to portraying the Tabligh Jamaat in a negative way. They were accused of conducting ‘corona jihad’ by the media with fake images of Tabligh Jamaat members flooding the internet conspiring to spread the virus in different ways. On has not forgotten that the barrage of fake videos which started doing the rounds on social media depicting Muslims deliberately smearing vegetables and fruits with their saliva, spitting into food served in restaurants, and coughing into the faces of other people, all with the malevolent intent of infecting non-Muslims. One also remembers with alacrity hashtags like #bioJihad and #tablighijamaatvirus that began to circulate on social media with terrifying consequences. The media was directly responsible for putting Muslim lives in danger as their communal reporting led to chilling consequences for ordinary Muslims. One remembers how Muslim vegetable vendors were not allowed to enter Hindu localities; one also remembers how a COVID ward in a Gujarat hospital got separated between Hindus and Muslims.

It must be stressed that at the time when the Tabligh Jamaat was holding its’ program, there was no lockdown in effect. In fact, even the parliament was functioning as if everything was normal. Therefore we must be clear that there was no illegality involved in the ongoing programs of the TJ. Rather, it was the sudden announcement of lockdown which did not give any time to people to prepare for this eventuality, which made the situation precarious for the Tablighis. Since people from different parts of the world had gathered for the religious program, the sudden lockdown made them stranded in a foreign country with the government having no plan to help with their emigration.

It must be said that being a transnational movement, the Tabligh Jamaat was in a better position to know about the incoming pandemic. It could have been clairvoyant and postponed the program much earlier and asked its delegates to return to their home countries. At the same time, we must also remember that the TJ was not the only religious organization to have gone with a planned program and as such cannot be held uniquely responsible for not reading the situation. Other religious organizations did pretty much the same thing in India and elsewhere. However, unlike the TJ, they were hardly castigated for being responsible for spreading the virus.

Transgressions by other religious organizations were overlooked because the sole focus of the media and government was to shift the blame on Muslims. Despite the lockdown effective since March 24th, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister attended a Ram Navami event in Ayodhya the very next day on the 25th of March. Before the lockdown became effective, a Sikh preacher, Baldev Singh, who had returned from Italy and Germany, defied government stipulated self-quarantine measures and continued to freely preach in various religious assemblies. The guru died because of the virus and the Punjab government put nearly 40,000 people in isolation with whom the guru had come into contact. Despite such callous behaviour displayed by an elected chief minister and a religious guru, neither the government nor the media houses highlighted these issues. Rather, the sole focus remained on how Muslims were spreading the virus.

Normally, one would have expected the government to intervene and stop this vilification. But what we saw was the exact opposite: the health ministry in its bulletin directly blamed the Tabligh Jamaat for spreading the virus in India. Other state apparatus like the judiciary were hardly convinced of this narrative peddled by the media and the government. In fact, in August, the Mumbai high court castigated the Maharashtra government for making the TJ a ‘scapegoat’ in order to hide its own failures in combating the virus. Those who are demanding that the media and the government apologise to the TJ should not forget that these institutions will never do so. This vilification of Muslims through the Tabligh Jamaat was part of a design to increase hatred towards Muslims. Given the fact that so many fake videos became viral, it seems that willing Hindus saw nothing wrong in such vilification of a particular community. 

However, we should also not forget that the speeches of Maulana Saad, the chief of TJ, gave much grist to those who wanted to make Muslims the ultimate villain. The ignorant utterances of Maulana Saad perpetuated irrationality and blind faith and should have been roundly condemned by all Muslims. However, over the past many years, it has become incumbent on Muslims to defend all kinds of nonsense which religious leaders indulge in. Instead of cautioning its followers and asking them to desist from congregating in mosques, the chief, Saad Kandhalvi did the very opposite. He stated that the virus was a punishment sent from God. In speeches made between March 20 and 22, he told his followers: ‘this is the time to bring the Ummah (Muslim community) to the mosques, not of leaving the mosques….. This is the time you should organise visits and bring people to mosques because the calamity that has struck us is due to our leaving the mosques…. It is a false belief that the virus spreads through assembling in the mosque. Even if you observe that a man dies after entering the mosque, then I will say that there cannot be a better place to die. …. The government wants you to choose remedial measures over fate…. only the Kuffar (unbelievers) rely on remedial measures and resources, Muslims only rely on Amaal (religious deeds) and prayers’.

Such foolish utterances of an influential religious figure should not be glossed over for the sake of political correctness. It was only in subsequent oration on the 25th of March, under the active advice of the government, that the chief of the Tabligh Jamaat toned down his religious rhetoric and asked his followers to follow the social distancing guidelines. If one is condemning the actions of the media and the government then one should also not desist from condemning such speeches of Maulana Saad. It is a travesty of our times that even critical Muslims have fallen for the idea that defending Maulana Saad is coterminous with defending attacks on Muslims. This is simply wrong. There is no contradiction between defending attacks on Muslims while at the same time critiquing whatever is wrong within the community.   

—–

Arshad Alam is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com  

This article was first published on https://www.newageislam.com

The post The Tablighis Were Indeed Made Scapegoats; But Will Muslims Condemn Maulana Saad’s Retrograde Speeches? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In a status report submitted by Delhi Police, Crime branch, to the Delhi High Court, it has states that Maulana Saad and Markaz management were informed about the hazard posed by COVID19 and yet they “deliberately, wilfully, negligently and malignantly disobeyed the lawful directions”.

Joy Tirkey, DCP (Crime HQ) informed the court that Over 900 Tablighi Jamaat attendees have joined the probe and passports of 723 foreign nationals and 23 Nepalese nationals have been taken into possession by police.

The Indian Express reported that the Delhi police submitted, “participation in Tablighi Jamaat by these foreign nationals who had entered India on tourist visa was in violation of the provisions of the Visa Manual 2019 and as such the act made them liable to be prosecuted under section 14 of The Foreigners Act, 1946.”

The status report further states that on March 21, Markaz management was contacted by Delhi police to apprise them of the threat of COVID19 and were asked to send the foreigners back to their respective countries. “However, no one paid any heed to the lawful directions of Delhi Police. Moreover, an audio recording purportedly by Maulana Mohd Saad, head of the Tablighi Jamaat, was found in circulation on WhatsApp on 21.03.2020, in which the speaker was heard asking his followers to defy the lockdown and social distancing and to attend the religious gathering of the Markaz,” the report read.

The report also states that on March 24, an SHO met with Maulana Saad and Markaz management since prohibitory orders were issued by Delhi government on social gatherings in the capital. The reports states that despite of verbal information as well as written notices, Maulana Saad and the management of Markaz did not inform the government about the gathering within the premises and  “deliberately, wilfully, negligently and malignantly disobeyed lawful directions promulgated in this regard”.

The report claims that around 1,300 devotees from across the country as well as from various countries were in the premises without following any social distancing norms and without using face masks and hand sanitizers.

The report stated that Saad and others had “allowed a huge gathering to assemble inside a closed premises, over a protracted period of time, without any semblance of social distancing or provision of masks and sanitisers, and thereby caused a situation where a highly infectious disease… may spread and threaten the lives of inmates and general public at large”.

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The case of a provocative audio message, allegedly by Tablighi Jamaat Markaz head Maulana Saad, continues to navigate fresh twists and turns. A recent article in the Indian Express had revealed that the ongoing Police probe had indicated that the audio clip was “doctored’. Now the Police have gone after the senior journalist who wrote the story.

The Delhi Police, via its Public Relations Officer, had called the article “factually incorrect… purely conjectural”.  Its official twitter handle posted this on May 9: “The Indian Express report dated 9.5.20 with an article captioned: Tablighi FIR: Police probe indicates Saad audio clip was doctored – Written by Mahender Manral, is not only factually incorrect but seems to be based on wholly unverified sources and purely conjectural imagination.”

The Indian Express report dated 9.5.20 with an article captioned: Tablighi FIR: Police probe indicates Saad audio clip was doctored – Written by Mahender Manral, is not only factually incorrect but seems to be based on wholly unverified sources and purely conjectural imagination. https://t.co/pXf6krFQ9L

— #DilKiPolice Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 9, 2020

The police stated that, “The claims made by the reporter regarding the investigation are totally baseless. The Delhi Police does not in any way stand by the story of the reporter, nor has he spoken to any official sources  claimed in his report.”

A day later, Delhi Police told the reporter, Mahender Singh Manral to join the probe whenever asked to. The police also emailed a notice to the Indian Express’s City Editor and Chief Reporter, letting them know that the reporter was required to join the probe from Monday onwards. This report of police action this Sunday was published by the Indian express itself, the notice states the report has warned that the reporter can also ‘face legal action under Indian Penal Code Section 174 — it can result in a prison term and fine.’

The notice, stated the latest report, was sent on the same day that The Indian Express published “the Delhi Police’s rejoinder with its own response that the report was based on conversations with sources and officials aware of the probe against Maulana Saad, and that calls and a message to Special CP (Crime) Praveer Ranjan Friday for his comments before publication received no response.”

Now Manral, the journalist, has been warned of legal action “under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, invoking powers of a police officer to require attendance of witnesses, by Inspector Satish Kumar, Investigating Officer, SOS-I, Crime Branch.” The alacrity of this action has not gone unnoticed, and Manral’s is colleague Abhishek Angad flagged the issue: “Colleague @mahendermanral summoned, threatened with legal action in case he doesn’t join the investigation after his story on Tablighi FIR. Remind me if Delhi Police also sent a notice like this in ISIS story of the missing JNU student.”

Colleague @mahendermanral summoned, threatened with legal action in case he doesn’t join the investigation after his story on Tablighi FIR. Remind me if Delhi Police also sent a notice like this in ISIS story of the missing JNU student. https://t.co/cqRBriArqc

— Abhishek Angad (@abhishekangad) May 11, 2020

The Delhi Police inspector in charge has asked the Indian Express Special Correspondent Mahender Singh Manral “to appear before him Monday and produce all relevant documents/material required for the purpose of investigation” and to “disclose all the facts” relevant to the investigation.”

Of course the journalist is now expected to appear before the Police whenever called and “join the investigation of the case as and when required”. Failure to do so at any level, and for whatever reason puts him at risk of legal action under IPC Section 174.

The Indian Express had reported that an “initial investigation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch” indicated that the audio clip allegedly of  Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, which is mentioned in the police FIR against him, could have been “doctored” and “stitched together using several audio files”. The reports quotes reliable sources, and stated that all the audio clips, and the main audio clip were being forensically examined.

The Indian express, meanwhile printed a response and said it stood by its report. 

On Monday the paper reported the removal of a study by Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), a Union Home Ministry think tank on “how to spot and investigate” fake news, which red-flagged the targeting of minorities over the Covid pandemic. According to the IE report, the  40-page “guide for law enforcement agencies” was uploaded on the official website Saturday and removed Sunday.

This report had mentioned the controversial audio of the Tablighi Jamaat chief, “in its discussion on fake audio.” The  BPR&D spokesperson Jitendra Yadav told IE that: “There are some corrections being made in the booklet. It will be uploaded again after that.”
 

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The post Cops want to question the messenger, not answer questions raised? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In a curious flip to the charges against Tablighi Jamaat Markaz Nizamuddin head Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, it has now come to light that a volatile audio clip, that was once considered crucial evidence, may have been ‘doctored’.

An explosive report in the Indian Express, stated that an “Initial investigation” by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has found that an  audio clip allegedly of a recording by  Tablighi Jamaat Markaz Nizamuddin head Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, where he has apparently asked his followers to ignore social distancing protocols and the government’s, prohibitory orders may have been “stitched together” using several audio clips.

This clip had been mentioned in the police FIR against Saad. According to news reports, the police have now sent all those  individual audio clips for forensic testing, along with the final, allegedly doctored audio as well. The clip was said to have been circulating on various whatsapp groups since March 21, before the police registered a complaint.

The FIR, state news reports, had been registered by SHO (Hazrat Nizamuddin) Mukesh Walia, and it was alleged that “an audio recording purportedly by Maulana Mohd Saad was found in circulation on WhatsApp on March 21, in which the speaker was heard asking his followers to defy the lockdown and social distancing, and to attend the religious gathering of the Markaz”.

The police had booked Saad and six others of the Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid management committee under various sections including IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). 

The IE quotes sources and states that Delhi Police had found “there are over 350 audio clips in three forms — raw clips of Markaz events; audio clips sent to their followers; and ones uploaded on their YouTube channel.” It added that “the viral audio is a mix of several clips, which have been edited and doctored.”

Saad has of course said to be the voice in other audio messages such as the the one released on  April 21, where he refers to  Covid-19 pandemic, and tells his followers to “deliver to needy food and drinks to the needy and to supply them with essential items and to take care of the hungry but above all such good acts Prerequisite is that to save the lives of sick and for their recovery even to sacrifice our life…”

He goes on to advice those TJ members who have recovered from Covid-19 to donate plasma and in the clip says, “I request all those who receive this message that they should show mercy and pity on humanity for the acceptance (raza) of Allah, should serve the humanity and help the government by donating plasma blood.”

While the investigations continue, it is interesting that such a lapse has only now come to light. It is not known if Saad himself has been questioned by the police yet.

Delhi Minority panel chief Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, was perhaps the first Muslim leader who had warned the community not to pay attention to “fake videos offering doubtful advice and cures.” 

While it is now important to wait for the forensic report of the now alleged to be fake audio clip, the damage has been done. And it is massive. Communal forces have been active across  India, and have been using this clip, to target Muslims. The community has been vilified and called ‘super spreaders’ and ‘single source spreaders’ of Coronavirus. They have borne the brunt of attacks, and discrimination in many parts of the country. Muslims, not even connected to the Jamaath in any way, have also been attacked in innumerable ways thanks to hate speech and whisper campaigns fuelled by fake news.

Poor Muslim vendors were accosted on the streets and banned from working. Hate videos showing this went viral on social media. “We will not let any Muslim enter our lanes,” a man, who is also shooting the video on his phone was be heard saying at Shastri Nagar in Delhi. The group was just one amongst scores,  especially in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh who targeted Muslims. Even hospitals have come under the scanner in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat for discriminating against the community.

All that because the Tabhligi Jamaat was branded and blamed as a Coronavirus spreader in India.

Most news coverage in March and April was also sensationalised and concentrated on the Tablighi Jamaat’s Congregation held from March 11-13.  Delhi government called it a ‘Covid-19 hotspot’ and a separate mention was made in the Covid-19 updates issued by both the state and union governments till last month.

The news headlines those days rang out with alarm bell headlines that quoted MHA and Health ministry data:  “Nearly 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts quarantined so far: MHA official.” or “1,023 Covid-19 positive cases with links to Tablighi Jamaat reported from 17 states till now”. 

Meanwhile, Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi, is  apparently continuing with his ‘self isolation’ somewhere in Delhi till now. 

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The post Will the hate mongering against India’s Muslim community stop if Tablighi head’s viral audio clip turns out to be doctored? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A Tablighi Jamaat faction, Shura-e-Jamaat, headquartered at Turkman Gate, in Delhi displayed common sense and believed in scientific advice and cancelled all events as soon as news of Coronavirus pandemic was reported. All events planned here were cancelled even before the Delhi government banned large gatherings in the city, and much before the Prime Minister declared a nationwide lockdown on March 24.

However, even after this group of believers dispersed and restricted their prayers and reflections to their own home, across the city, leaders of the Jamaat faction at Alami Markaz Banglewali Masjid, Nizzamuddin continued their congregational activities. 

Ignoring all advice, including that from Muslim intellectuals, leaders and clerics, Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi, who heads the influential faction of the Jamaat, was adamant that programmes continue as scheduled. His error of judgement has resulted in endangering the lives not just of his followers, but also of all other Muslims who are not even involved in the Jammat but now fear being targeted by hate mongers. 

Delhi Police has issued two notices to Maulana Saad Kandhalvi already. Both notices are issued under Section 91 CrPC that allows courts and police to seek answers, including documents for investigation. The person asked to give documents has to do as directed. As reported by network TV 18, Maulana Saad has not been asked to appear before the police yet. According to reports his lawyer had submitted some documents in response to the first notice sent by Delhi Police. It was yet to be confirmed, till Tuesday evening, if Saad or his lawyers had replied to the second notice. What is confirmed is that he is now protecting himself.

After clearly putting the lives of those who attended at risk, he himself has claimed to be in self isolation somewhere in Delhi “on advice from doctors.” This is not against Islam, he says. These messages of self-isolation, self-care and taking precautions seem ironical considering that his earlier messages had allegedly dismissed all warnings of congregations being vulnerable and potential hotspots that could spread Coronavirus. Almost all religious places, and groups had suspended congregational prayers, and gatherings.

But Maulana Saad continued to allegedly tell his followers that it was not true that the virus, and Covid-19 could affect those who gathered in mosques. In a viral audio message, Saad allegedly gave his followers dangerous advice saying, “And even if some one dies after they come into a mosque. I say there is no better place to die than a mosque.” 

This has been his greatest disservice to his own followers, for many of whom Saad’s word is the gospel truth. In another audio message Saad allegedly tells his Jamaat how the pandemic is a “curse” on people who have strayed from the true path of faith. Often selectively quoting from The Quran he says the pandemic was unleashed by god because people left mosques, and asked how can people still want to leave mosques/ prayers to fight the pandemic. “Think about it… what an opposite thought process,” he asks, calling it the “the work of the devil…”

Hopefully those aware enough will ignore what now sounds like dangerous brainwashing by a religious leader who wants to secure his own position in his congregation rather than be seen as someone who is listening to scientific advice by health experts. Those who follow him blindly will also not see the irony in his self-isolation and that he eventually says something like, “taking precautions is okay, and not against Allah,” or “cooperating with government and administration is important,” and “Wherever our jamaats are, they should obey the instructions given by the government.”

He is unlikely to appear before the authorities. Has bought himself time. Time, however, seems to be running out for many of his followers who may already have been infected with the virus,  and more so for those who are facing harassment from all sides. 

How Saad’s actions are now affecting the entire community

Thousands of his direct followers now bear the biggest brunt of Maulana Saad’s lack of foresight, and his reluctance to listen to advice from his own community. According to community leaders Maulana Saad should have anticipated what was going to unfold, and acted proactively instead of waiting. “He is stubborn and ultra orthodox, he should have cancelled or at least postponed all events like their Turkman Gate faction did,” said a leading Muslim scholar.

“Maulana Saad did not use common sense, and went ahead because he probably waited for direct orders from the Government. There was no lockdown when the Markaz meeting was taking place. He only acted once the curfew was announced,” said another. By then of course it was too late in many respects and the law swooped down eventually on the Jammat’s HQ and sealed the neighbourhood around it.

The big mistake of the Tablighi leadership in India, was that they did not postpone all planned events, nor did they shut down the dormitory, as soon Covid reports came in months ago. However, Maulana Saad-led Jammat cancelled their events only when the Prime Minister announced a ‘junta curfew’ on March 22. “They went ahead as the government had not put in any restriction on visa/ travel when they landed. They just kept waiting for government announcements and decisions like anybody else, that has led to all this now,” said a Muslim lawyer who watched the events unfold. 

Similar events had been cancelled in Indonesia in a planned manner. According to a report from the Jakarta Post, the  South Sulawesi provincial administration cancelled an international event that was set to take place in Gowa regency over heightened concerns about COVID-19. “South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah said the event, a grand tabligh (mass Quran recitation), was canceled because of the current public health emergency. It was imperative that the administration heeded President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s advice and suspended any form of mass gathering throughout the province,” the report stated.

The Markaz event that ended on March 15, was attended by thousands of members from across the country and abroad. More than half left the area once the meetings were over. The rest stayed on in the city as many sometimes do, making the most of the visit to meet people, visit shrines, be hosted by friends and families, see some tourist spots, and sometimes even shop in the big city.

Some Jamaat members from abroad have visas that allow them to stay in India for a few months. After meetings at their HQ, some travel inland and meet other Muslim groups, clerics and families. All their travel is registered, planned in detail, and bookings are made much in advance. In Delhi, they always visit two-three shrines with local hosts. Many are hosted for meals at private homes across the city as guests. Local mosques allot these meal hosting times, to those who ask. 

Jamaatis are allowed to stay a few days after events and do not have to pay for their food and lodging at the Jamaat’s comfortable, centrally located dormitory. Those who can afford local hotels, move there if they want to stay on for longer in the city. The nearly 20-year-old dormitory is in a building separate from the over 100 year old Banglewali mosque itself. The building has a common wall with the Nizamuddin Police station, and locals say the police is always aware of activities in the neighbourhood. This has been the case for years.

The Wire reports: “The TJ’s headquarters sees a steady stream of Jamaat workers throughout the year who pass through Delhi before and after embarking on preaching tours – known as ‘chilla’ – across India. These visits are scheduled well in advance and it is not unusual for the Markaz to play host – essentially as a hostel – to upwards of 8,000 people at any one time. While at the headquarters, they take part in ongoing instructional activities. The premises can hold up to 10-12,000 people,” the report quotes Mujib-ur-Rahman, a TJ representative.

“The international membership is rich and influential, and their agenda is to bring Muslims back to core spirituality. Most meetings are done inside Jamaat properties, they are not public events that need special permission,” he added, “after the lockdown they were unprepared and got stranded.”

According to a government press statement: “On March 21 , approximately 824 foreign Tabligh Jamaat workers were in different parts of the country for missionary work. Besides, around 216 foreign nationals were staying in the Markaz. In addition, over 1500 Indian TJ workers were also staying in the Markaz while around 2100 Indian TJ workers were touring different parts of the country for missionary work. Since March 23, lockdown has been strictly imposed by State authorities/Police across Delhi including in and around Nizamuddin and Tabligh work came to a halt.” The entire press release may be read here.

The cancellation of events on March 22 was unplanned, just like the nationwide lockdown was, and people found themselves stranded and without any help from any officials. Maulana Saad wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 22 asking for buses to be arranged to evacuate those who remained in the dormitory after the city was in lockdown and movement restricted. There was no response from the CM’s office, said sources. The next day he went to the police station next-door, and again did not get any response or help in evacuation.

All options closed as curfews were enforced in Delhi, most Jamaatis were in the masjid. After the national lockdown their HQ was the only place they could stay. They are now caught in a crossfire even though Tablighi Jamaat has always been indifferent to politics and only focus their activities inwards. 

As reported in the National Herald this ignorance of the outside world has now cost the Jamaat dearly. “It was none of their concern, was the attitude. Whatever the Lord willed would follow in any case. They would rather take care of their after-life… They ignored warnings, held a congregation attended by a large number of visitors from abroad and paid the price by getting infected by the virus,” reported the publication.

However, this group’s error of judgement has also put all other Muslims at a risk bigger than what even the Coronavirus threatens. Tabligi Jamaat is in the news, national and international, almost every day. With headlines such as this from BBC: “Tablighi Jamaat: The group blamed for new Covid-19 outbreak in India.”

They are mentioned in daily press briefings held by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health. The authorities share details of work done to ‘identify, isolate and quarantine COVID-19 positive Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) workers in India post their congregation in Nizamuddin, Delhi’. In fact the MHA said it shared details of TJ workers in India with all states on March 21, 2020 after COVID-19 positive cases had surfaced in Telangana. State Police had also been told to ‘examine visas of all these foreign TJ workers and take further action in case of violation of visa conditions.’ According to MHA , they had already issued guidelines that ‘they should not indulge in missionary work on tourist visa.’

The news headlines have all sounded similar with quoting MHA and Health ministry data. “Nearly 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts quarantined so far: MHA official.” or “1,023 COVID-19 positive cases with links to Tablighi Jamaat reported from 17 states till now”. 

Those now under treatment, or under quarantine have become fodder for fake news factories and hate mongers. So much so that police had to intervene and shut down rumours that alleged that Jamaat members under quarantine were misbehaving, or making special demands. A Tweet by Saharanpur Police in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh clarifying that no Tablighi Jamaat under quarantine was demanding non-veg food,  is a case in point:

@Uppolice @adgzonemeerut @igrangemeerut @digsaharanpur @Dineshdcop pic.twitter.com/ZYY6kNirAE

— Saharanpur Police (@saharanpurpol) April 5, 2020

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