By Special Correspondent
Chennai: Calling upon the mosque authorities to ban congregational prayers to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, prominent Muslim organisations in Tamil Nadu on Sunday urged the state government to adopt humane approach in tracking and screening suspects amid reports of “improper and unprofessional” treatment meted out to many members of Tablighi Jamaat.
As many as five Muslim organisations, including representatives of Tablighi Jamaat, in a meeting in Chennai urged the Muslim community to “fully cooperate” with the government efforts to fight the virus by following lockdown guidelines.
The Muslim leaders requested the people who attended the religious conference in mid-March at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Hazrat Nizamuddin to voluntarily turned up to be diagnosed. However, several districts magistrates have ensured that such families are being shifted to quarantine centres with care and esteem, said Prof M. H. Jawahirullah, president of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) who attended the meeting.
“We request the mosque authorities and the general public to continue this suspension till the lockdown is called off completely,” said Jawahirullah. He said that the Muslim leaders appreciate the health staff for their “uncompromising efforts to overcome the crisis”. He said that the government should take up steps to stop selective targeting of the community. “It is the duty of the government to ensure safety and welfare of everyone,” he demanded.
The meeting passed eight resolutions that urged for proper facilitation of health service, curb on hate messages and smooth affairs at the time of the crisis.
They slammed media for the malicious campaign launched against the Muslim community after some members of Tablighi Jamaat were found positive with the virus at Markaz Nizamuddin in New Delhi and asked the government to take immediate action people spreading “messages of hate.”
“We request the government to be vigilant with regard to hate messages in the social, print and visual media and take stringent measures to curb them,” said the resolution.
One resolution expressed fears that coronavirus positive cases were being kept with suspects in close quarters in hospitals and also pointed out that men and women were housed in the same room, causing “immense anguish” within the community.
Among those who took part in the discussions were two Tablighi Jamaat leaders besides IUML national president Khader Mohideen, TN Jama’athul Ulama Sabai general secretary V S Anwar Badhushah and SDPI leader Umar Farooq.
This meeting was attended by Prof. K.M. Khader Mohideen, national president of the Indian Union Muslim League, Prof M. H. Jawahirullah, president of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, A.S. Umar Farook, general secretary of the Social Democratic party of India, Moulvi Dr. V.S. Anwar Badusha Ulavi, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Jamaath Ul Ulema, Maulvi. K.M. Iliyas Riyazi, Nellai Ameen and A. Jamaluddeen, representatives of Tablighi Jamaat.
