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Muslim Officers Urge Muslim Citizens to Practice Social Distancing
The officers have appealed to the Muslim community to act responsibly and stand out as examples for fellow citizens.
Seemi Pasha
India
Published:
Muslim bureaucrats and police officers, who have been tirelessly working on the ground, have appealed to fellow Muslims to cooperate with authorities.
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(Photo: PTI)
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Muslim bureaucrats and police officers who have been tirelessly working on the ground, making arrangements to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and for the treatment for those who have already contracted the virus, have appealed to fellow Muslims to cooperate with the authorities.
A letter, which has been signed by more than 60 IAS, IRS and IPS officers says,
“The global outbreak of COVID-19 is a huge challenge to the country and all humanity. We are struggling hard to keep it at bay.”
The officers claim they are worried by reports of Muslims not adhering to social distancing and other measures employed to counter the spread of the pandemic.
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“Distressing videos are in wide circulation showing stone-pelting at health workers, and clash of men from the Muslim community with police personnel who were enforcing the law. In some videos, policemen are baton-charging the people hell-bent on going to a mosque for prayer. Today on 4 April 2020, a national daily reported that 25 percent of the positive cases of novel coronavirus reported in India are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in Delhi in March.”
The officers have appealed to the Muslim community to act responsibly and stand out as examples to fellow citizens in the fight against coronavirus.
They have also invoked Islamic law to underline how it is sinful to harm oneself. They have equated contracting the virus to ‘suicide and courting danger and disease by one’s rash and negligent act’ and said that such an act is ‘haraam’ or forbidden in Islam.
They have tried to explain in the letter how the virus does not remain confined to the body of the infected person, but spreads to his family and society.
The officers then go on to quote from their holy book to say that,
“The Quran says if one kills an innocent human being, it is as if he had killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it is as if he had saved the life of all mankind.”
They have also invoked sayings and practices of the Prophet, to say that there are clear directions given to take steps to protect oneself and to prevent the spread of epidemics in the Hadiths.
The group of civil servants has appealed to Muslims to refrain from gathering at mosques, to pray at home as responsible citizens and help health workers and police officers carry out their duties.
The letter has been signed by the following officers:
Asif Jalal, IPS (2002-HP)
Najmul Hoda, IPS, Inspector General of Police, Tamil Nadu-2001 batch
Sohail Malik, IRS 2010 batch, Joint Commissioner of IT, Delhi
Rashid Munir Khan, IPS 2008-WB
Muzammil Khan, IAS
Mohammad Shayin, IAS 2002 batch Haryana
Mohd Mustafa IPS 1985 Punjab
Noorul Hasan ,IPS,2015,MH
Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh, IFS, 2004, Consul General of India, Jeddah
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