The past few weeks have seen constant false accusations that Muslims are not adhering to the lockdown measures to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. At the start of April, HOPE not Hate reported on a flurry of fake news insisting that mosques across the country had remained open in breach of legislation.
On Monday – April 13, The Sunday Times printed an article that has prompted a new wave of concern about whether the observance of Ramadan might lead to a ‘big spike’ in cases of COVID-19. The article, which made extensive reference to the fact that black and minority ethnic people appear to be dying of COVID-19 at a disproportionately high rate, contained a quote from a consultant nephrologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Dr Adnan Sharif. Dr Sharif observed that Ramadan is traditionally a communal affair and that there was concern that there may be an ensuing spike in cases if social distancing were not observed: “For us, Ramadan is a big concern. Anything that leads to more social interaction is a big worry and Ramadan is by its very nature a community thing […] People traditionally gather to open and close prayers and break [their] fast at sundown with friends and neighbours, which could cause a big spike in infections”.
While this is certainly an important point to raise, the headline of the article – “Experts fear a spike in UK coronavirus cases during Ramadan” – and those of other papers that picked up the story – was somewhat misleading. Since they only had one quote on the matter, the use of plural is questionable. Furthermore, while medical professionals should consider all risks linked to the spread of COVID-19, there is no evidence the Muslim community is not taking the lockdown seriously.
Other papers chose to go even further. For reasons best known to themselves, Metro decided to change the quote from “big spike” to “huge spike” for their headline, before later removing the adjective after complaints.
Leaving aside the inclusion of this wildly misleading quote, the framing of these stories matter. Ramadan will lead to a huge spike in cases only if Muslims do not adhere to social distancing. While the traditionally communal practises of Ramadan would be hugely concerning if practised this year, there is currently no evidence that it will be.
The mosques and community spaces where communal prayers and iftars would ordinarily take place remain closed. In fact, many mosques have offered up their premises to be used as facilities to alleviate pressure on hospices, hospitals and mortuaries. As each of the articles noted, the Muslim community is coming up with new ways to observe Ramadan, from radio broadcasts of prayer services to virtual iftars.
Initiatives like Open Iftar will allow the community to break their fast together online, and community leaders have said that although congregational prayers are not possible, Muslims can focus on charity which is another important component of Ramadan. Muslim organisations are also pushing out constant messages about how social distancing is part of a Muslim’s duty, and how one can support the fight against COVID-19 during Ramadan.
Newspaper editors must take care to avoid providing ammunition to those who see the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to smear minority groups.While Ramadan, like other religious celebrations such as Easter or Passover, is impacted by COVID-19 precautions, communities are adapting rapidly to the situation.
Meral Musli Tajroska – Psychologist, Consultant on violent extremism and radicalization, activist for gender equality.
Source: Hope Not Hate
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This project was funded in part through a U.S. Embassy grant. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the implementers/authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government.
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