After the Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protests, the gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz on 13-15 March has become a serious cause of worry amid India’s nationwide fight against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
What are common to both incidents is that they involve a section of the Muslim community and vested interests playing on the religious sentiments of the fellow community members. There was also a loud exhibition of stridently anti-government sentiments in Shaheen Bagh and defiance of lockdown in Markaz gathering. In both cases, the string pullers seem to have deep pockets and abundant political motive.
According to media reports, the Delhi Police was ineffective in getting the Markaz area vacated and Home Minister Amit Shah had to seek the assistance of National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval to do the police’s job. Maulana Saad, the now absconding chief of Tablighi Jamaat, which currently operates from its office at Nizamuddin in Delhi, had refused to yield to pleas from the Delhi Police to vacate the Banglewali Masjid. NSA Doval reportedly reached Markaz around 2.00 am on 29 March and convinced Saad to get the area vacated and have the members tested for Covid-19. It worked.
The government was well aware of the seriousness of the situation building up. Earlier, in another congregation at Karimnagar in Telangana, 10 Indonesian preachers travelling on tourist visas as against under the missionary category had tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the security agencies to ring the alarm bells.
Was the Markaz incident a mere law and order situation gone wrong or was it a serious security lapse? The Narendra Modi government must at some stage put these questions to rest. It is strange that the Tablighi Jamaat members who attended the gathering in Delhi were allowed to return to their respective towns without any checks or quarantine, considering the number of positive Covid-19 cases had begun to rise significantly late last month. This is a serious security lapse, which has turned into a health hazard and an invitation to an avoidable disaster.
Also read: Coronavirus was a test of secular nationalism. Then Tablighi Jamaat became the scapegoat
Difficult to trace preachers
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 cases have suddenly gone up, with the spurt mainly attributed to those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet at Nizamuddin. The gathering was reportedly attended by more than 3,000 members, including about 800 foreign preachers of the Islamic organisation, which is believed to be popular in some Asian countries. One of the six core principles of Tablighi Jamaat is Dawat-o-Tabligh (proselytisation).
The foreign preachers didn’t enter India on missionary visas, which would have limited their movement in the country to specific locations. Because they came on tourist visas, tracking their travel itinerary is extremely difficult now. This is not good news in terms of tracing people with whom they may have come in contact.
While tracing their contacts looks impossible, most of the foreign preachers themselves are yet to be traced. Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Arvind Kumar has reportedly told state DGPs to scan all Tablighi Jamaat congregations held in other parts of the country such as Karimnagar in Telangana; Malappuram (and some other towns of northern Kerala); Erode, Nagore, and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu; and a few towns in the coastal areas of Karnataka. The Union home ministry has also sought details on all such Tablighi Jamaat preachers who entered India through international airports, especially since the beginning of 2020. Even if the entire list is made available, it will be impossible to trace and scan each one of them.
Another difficulty is the animosity and opposition displayed by some irresponsible Tablighi Jamaat attendees. One police team in Bihar, which had gone to a Mosque in Madhubani to look for Jamaat attendees was reportedly attacked with stones and chased away.
Also read: Tablighi Jamaat brought out Republic, Zee and Times Now’s fangs that Covid-19 had withdrawn
Mistaken beliefs
Behind this callous attitude and rebelliously defiant insubordination for safety measures and ‘social distancing’ in public interest is the mistaken belief that coronavirus will not infect a true believer and the faithful. Such appallingly misleading ideas are probably being propagated by the radical, fundamentalist preachers with awfully dated views on modern science and Covid-19 affliction whose remedy continues to elude researchers.
It is understandable that calamities drive people towards religion and push them to look for solace in religious entities. It is futile to argue that Hindu temples too were open and political meetings were taking place uninterrupted. For records, many important shrines were shut after the existing crowd was cleared well before the nationwide lockdown was announced. They didn’t wait for a fatwa or direction from some religious head. There has not been a single case of contumacious misbehaviour on the part of devotees or even the migrants who were put to extreme hardship.
The coronavirus is not known to look for religious options before afflicting. This kind of whataboutery, the old Soviet-era propaganda using the tu quoque logical fallacy, will serve no good purpose except widening the schism among communities at a time when social unity and harmony is germane in the fight against a global pandemic.
The author is a member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP and former editor of Organiser. Views are personal.
Near the same dates a similar programme was stopped in mumbai even though it had prior permission, so it should have been stopped in Delhi too
The author mentions very little about the Hindu gatherings(including Yogi’s moving the Ram idol) which could cause an outbreak! He is just another BJP bakht feeding stories to the masses!
@Steohen Billings:
Troll alert,
Rakeshji, you are taking this critical time to propogate christianity. You would not be thought by any one that you are so mean and silly. No hindu GOD or Prophet Mohammed or Lord jesus tells you to hate any one or any living being. When your food plate is filled with no living beings and your mind says ENOUGH , and your heart and words accept your mistakes then THAT GOD is nowhere he is in you. Halva jilebi kheer gives you the sweet taste in common,but differ in name. Pure love and hatredless mind is God. Please bhai samjo.
Noble thought.
More than the Hindu or Muslim aspect of the activity, the important point was the presence of FOREIGNERS in it. If Hindu temples and congregations haven’t bred Corona, touchwood, then it can be due to the absence of foreigners there. Government should have VETOED the participation from other countries. In that regard I would put the larger share of blame on the central or Delhi government, whoever had the authority to exercise such a veto. If someone says the government WILFULLY IGNORED this dimension so the blame could fall on a “Muslim” establishment, I will buy that argument. “Give them a long enough rope to hang themselves”, sort of a thing.
Muslims are the only community today who can be enmass fooled using lies. Muslims have lost the ability to separate truth from lies and imagination from facts due Quarnic teachings. Most Indian Muslims today are raised to hate RSS from very childhood at home as well as in Madarsas. Muslims hatred of RSS will only increase in future unless government seriously reviews the education imparted to Muslim children. Madarsas must be freed from the control of hard islamist mullahas and minority tag of Muslims must be withdrawn. Muslims ‘ social reforms are the need of the hour and must be carried immediately.
Are you kidding me?! You seem to be living in a fool’s paradise!
Heard of the caste system?! Untouchability?! Sati?! Any society where free speech, critical thinking, and a rational approach is suppressed will foster blind belief.
The powers that be want such a society to prevail, so that they can cling on to power. For proof, just look at yourself, Modi-bhakt!!
Dear Subin ,
We had several shortcomings in our religion like sati pratha , Bal vivah, untouchability etc. But we had forward looking people like swami dayanand Saraswati , raja ram Mohan Rai , swami Vivekananda who were progressive and forward looking and corrected all such evils. They ensured that we should study English to move forward , DAV ( Dayanand Anglo Vedic) school which is run by Arya samaj society is one such institution . We are free and not bound by what pandit , dharm guru says. But there is sharp contrast in Muslim community , you study in madarsas where you don’t get proper mainstream education. You are governed by mullas who are basically conservative in their approach. What majority of the Muslim community is doing today ? Selling chicken,meat and eggs, doing tailoring, making puncture, selling fruits & veg., Pulling ricshaw etc. Very few of them are engineers and doctors or IPS / IAS. If your education is not like others and there is a resistance to change by the community then in next 10 / 15 years you will be the most backward community of India. However today also the SC, ST is well above you people in higher study. Hence stop conservative approach and learn from others who are growing fast.
“Muslims are the only community today who can be enmass fooled using lies…”
So, YOU are not going to light a candle on 5 April?
yes, this lapse on the part of current government is inexcusable and accountability is required.
A glaring omission among all pro-BJP commentators like this one and all so called “nationalist” anchors is this: visa to these Tablighis was provided by the central govt. The Delhi police under the HM failed to get wind of such a large gathering and the AAP govt in Delhi also proved ineffective in upholding its own orders prohibiting any large gathering. This piece has no questions for the PM, the EAM, the HM or the AAP govt for such glaring lapses. This is the end-result of 6 yrs of blaming all of India’s problems on J Nehru/R Gandhi/Pakistan. All round incompetence and no one in responsible positions is being held accountable.
When you have a Home Minister who is busy thinking about the NPA, NCR, or creating a Hindu-Muslim divide and the Prime Minister is a Emcee churning out inconsequential tasks as if trying to divert the attention of hungry toddlers, what can you expect from this government. The public may be under the mistaken belief that the virus will not infect a true believer, the government should also understand that it would require a lot more seriousness than thali beating or lighting candles to tackle this malaise.
Neither Hindu nor Islam can save this country. Hinduism is very much racist and foundations is based on differentiation of humanity. and encourage hate to one another. Where as Islam is very much violent. These religions makes thing worse and make people suffer the pain. Dear beloveds Indian. If you want no pain and want to have meaningful life , accept the faith in Christianity. Only in Christianity you can learn the values of humanity.
Can morons like you shut up and not use any opportunity to promote your religion?? Get a lesson in history, Christianity was spreaded by Romans with swords.
There is no respite from religious zealots like you.
@Rakesh:
Some great “Christian” values we all know about:
Racial discrimination against all non-white humans- a true “no pain”Christian” heaven
Enslavement of millions of Africans over centuries simply for economic gain. Tell the slaves about “real meaningful “ life.
Oh and let’s not forget the Spanish Inquisition or the Holocaust.
Lest I forget, how about the child s3xual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy?
Various incidents from 2015 onward in and around Delhi such as at JNU, Jamia Milia etc and the recent Delhi riots along with this incident are a stark pointer to the failure of intelligence machinery. It could not anticipate such incidents and warn police to be prepared for it. The way these incidents panned out is also a sad reflection on Delhi Police which needs to some serious overhaul. All of these undermine and endanger national security seriously. Chari has rightly raised these concerns in this article. It behooves on Amit Shah as Home Minister to set things right expeditiously.
The author seems to totally ignored the fact that until the gathering was over on 15th even government was not serious in spite of repeated questions raised inside and outside the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi’s questions were simply ignored. As for as TJ, by shere carelessness they have allowed the entire community as an object of villification. If TJ was responsible for the spread so also temples and other gathering as how do we know affected persons were not part of those gathering. Yes, those who have attacked the health workers should be severely punished. But people like Chari and other BJP supporters should not attempt to add fuel to fire to create divide for political reasons. Mischevious videos are being shared by BJP suppoters showing mass “sneezing” etc is dangerous so also hyper nationalistic TV channels.
Is Rahul Gandhi is serious? He is Wayanad MP! What is he doing here in Delhi? People who voted him in Wayanad is missing from his constitution during the emergency situation in Wayanad. If he cannot take care and f Wayanad, he should resign and hand over his duty of CPM!
@Nagarajan
Tablighis are waging #Corona Jihad.
They need to be called out along with the rest of Indian Muslims who are complicit in # Corona Jihad by their silence on the Tablighis’ actions.
Folks like you are paving th3 way for India to become an Islamic Republic.