Coronavirus, and idiocy

inam ul rehman

Now officially it has been declared that the first death of coronavirus has taken place in the Kashmir Valley (March 26). It may have sent a shock wave to the entire Kashmir Valley. Often his death is blamed on the proselytising methods of the Tableeghi Jamaat.

The Tj is an offshoot of the Deobandi school of thought. The TJ are known for their non-confrontation ways. They invite everyone toward Islam irrespective of the place where they are. And now the spread of coronavirus in Kashmir is blamed on them. Why, because as per Kashmiri netizens the TJ members refused to disclose their case history, and didn’t abide with the restrictions imposed on congregations! 

These are some of the allegations which can easily swoon any man. The TJ ameer has already clarified that he had asked his men not to hold congregation prayers, and no matter how fast the communication is it takes time for any message to reach every individual.  But it doesn’t absolve them for still holding congregation. 

The TJ man returned to Kashmir and disclosed his travel history to everyone who was interested. But he was pushed from one hospital to other with no one taking responsibility. Many pedalled false narratives, as is wont in Kashmir, particularly on social media with journalists, doctors taking lead in it that he didn’t disclose his travel history. A brouhaha was created in which profanities were hurled toward the TJ, and some netizens even suggested their mass arrest!  A case of siege mentality.  

The same doctors, journalists, and intellectuals were mild toward those doctors who were coming from foreign countries and evaded scanners at the airport, or refused to be quarantined. Worse, some even hid their travel history. Imagine how many people they must have infected. But since TJ members are not used to counter it on social media networks they were pulped, while as doctors, businessmen, scholars, students, hiding their travel history were let off.   

Yesterday when unexpectedly Azaan was called in Kashmir at 11pm because some preacher in Pakistan has said that it would ward of coronavirus, some people justified it because they claimed it has religious sanction, and some even went further because Pakistan has said it, so, it has to be obeyed!     

A few days earlier the Indian prime minister asked his countrymen to clap for those who are at the forefront of combating the coronavirus disease, the same journalists, intellectuals in Kashmir mocked at it, and worse concocted it as an event through which coronavirus will not affect Indians!  The same people who raised objection that Azaan should not be mocked, but were at the forefront at mocking Hindu people for taali, and thaali bajao!.

Pandemics create paranoia, and yesterday it was witnessed in Kashmir’s downtown area when people came out of their homes in midnight as they thought the last day has arrived. They even circulated videos in which they claimed to have seen the Angel of Death looking at them. 

I hate it when people mock at other religions, but when the same is done to their religion become extremists. Religion is not a science or a rational thing that one can always make sense of it.

The first official coronavirus case in the Kashmir Valley was a female, and the blame was put on an IPS officer for helping her to evade scanning at the airport. While as the fact of the matter was that she was put to quarantine but her doctor relative forcefully took her out from that quarantine ward.

In Kashmir one should be careful because some journalists, intellectuals like to give it twist, and want people to remain ignorant as it suits their fan following.