Refrain from religious profiling of COVID-19 cases: WHO in context of Tabligh
Countries should not profile novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in terms of religion or any other criteria, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended in a press conference on April 6, 2020. A congregation of Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi has been widely panned after several attendees were tested positive of the virus SARS-CoV-2.
The Government of India too weighed in: Union health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal, who has been briefing the media regularly, on April 5 sought to make a case that the outbreak would have spread slower but for the congregation.…
According to WHO Emergency Programme Director Mike Ryan: “This does not help.” Having COVID-19 is not anybody’s fault. Every case is a victim. It is very important that we do not profile the cases on the basis of racial, religious and ethnic lines,” Ryan said on April 6 to a India-specific question.…
SEE ALSO
USCIRF Condemns the Stigmatization of Religious Minorities during COVID-19 Pandemic (Apr 8, 2020, USCIRF)
UN flags concern to Govt Covid group: Need to fight targeting of certain sects (Apr 10, 2020, Indian Express)
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/un-india-coronavirus-tablighi-jamaat-nizamuddin-6355696/
‘Finding a Scapegoat’: 109 Citizens Urge Govt, Media to Stop Communalising COVID-19 (Apr 8, 2020, The Wire)
https://thewire.in/communalism/coronavirus-tablighi-jamaat-scapegoat-muslims
We strongly condemn any attempt to communalize the pandemic : ISRC (Apr 10, 2020, Muslim Mirror)
