How did the Corona virus escalated within a short span of time? Is it due to high number of congregations rather than social distancing??? Before beginning, as a person who believe in Break the Chain rather than Break the Nation…there is no writing on religious (Hindi,Muslim,christian,Jain,…….) issues in this blog.
Corona and Religion
The Novel Corona Virus 2019 pandemic is creating an increased panic and trepidation among people. In most affected countries, one of the major reason for the outbreak of the virus is religious congregations. The people have a false belief that the God will protect one even though if they are out in-group/congregations for charismatic ambitions during the virus outbreak. The religious heads and leaders inflate these ideas of religious gathering, for fighting the virus. It’s just like dusting off the mud while standing in a muddy pit. God is not stupid enough to forgive the one causing harm to the people…God’s peace is with the one who stay in home quarantine…
The Dashing Virus Multiplier in South Korea – Shincheonji Religious Group.
The Shoncheonji Religious group an offshoot of Christianity is one of the major reason behind Virus out break in South Korea, especially in the city of Daegu. As per the religious culture rule,
“even though if a person is sick he should come for the prayer services in Sundays and if he cant attend the prayer service on Sunday he should find time and come on Monday or Tuesday”…more than that, the followers sit on the floor packed together for long hour of prayer services..
- The leader of the sect Leen Man – Hee, an 88-year-old pastor who founded the church, claims that he is the second Jesus Christ and is immortal. Even Jesus in my knowledge has not said that he is immortal!!…
- All 230,000 members of the church have been interviewed. Nearly 9,000 said they were showing symptoms of coronavirus.
- The government found 31 positive cases and thought that the cycle came to an end. Within a few days the life in South Korea became normal, people started to travel in buses, metro…and suddenly it happened as
- A 61-year-old female member of the sect was tested negative for COVID, later came back after ten days as she was sick, was tested positive. In ten days, She had attended two congregations each one having more than a thousand participants.
- When the government initiated the check-up, the number went up from 20 in the first a day to 1000 within a week.
- The 61-year-old women gained the title of “Super Spreader” in South Korea after this incidence
- Later they discovered a branch of this church in Wuhan and the way virus come to Korea.
This was one of the first example for religious congregation spreading the Virus….
Baldev Singh; The Super Spreader of Virus in Punjab.
Baldev Singh is the first confirmed Corona Virus fatality in Punjab. Baldev Singh a 70 year old Kirtani cum preacher who returned after attending two weeks of congregations from German and Italy(the countries worst hit by the virus), was asked by the government to be in home quarantine.
- He kept his travel history hold from the government
- Did not pay heed to the government advisory, Baldev attended the Hola Mohalla festival at Anandpur Sahib, a city in Rupnagar district of Punjab. The festival held over three days between Mar. 10 and Mar. 12, around 300,000 usually attend the event each day, camping out and enjoying mock battles, music, and poetry, as well as large communal kitchens.
- He Kept on visiting the devotees home blessing their babies.
- He had a direct contact with over 94 people, who further had contact with 500 people.
Out of then 33 cases found in Punjab 32 were due to the contact from the Great infamous (now) Baldev Singh; The first Indian Super Spreader.
Tablighi Jamaat meet and the dispersion of Covid 19.
Tablighi Jamaat, a non-political global Sunni Islamic evangelical movement of Indian origin, is termed as the largest known viral Vector on Novel Cornoa Virus in South Asia. In India it has been one of the most influential religious movement in 20th century among Muslim.
- In Malaysia, the organisation conducted a meeting in February 2020. At that time there were no travel restrictions imposed in India.
- More than 620 people connected to this movement has tested positive in Malaysia. Most of the 73 corona virus cases in Brunei are tied to the gathering, as are 10 cases in Thailand.
- This organisation gathered a meeting in Nizzamuddin markaz in Delhi from March 10 to 13. Preachers and people from Malaysia and Indonesia are said to have been at Nizamuddin for this congregation.
- These foreign preachers were mostly stationed at Uttar Pradesh (132), followed by Tamil Nadu (124), Maharashtra (115) and Haryana (115). At least 1,500 preachers had already left for various destinations by March 23 after a few of the members had developed symptoms but no one thought about the virus.
- When reports last came in, more than a 100 attendees, including 50 in Tamil Nadu, 24 in Delhi, 18 in Kashmir, 15 fresh in Telangana and nine in Andaman and Nicobar had tested positive for the disease.
- It is estimated that from January 1 this year, approximately 2,100 foreigners visited India for preaching purposes. While 824 of them, as on March 21, were dispersed in different parts of the country, 216 of them stayed at the Nizamuddin Markaz.
- Now many may be left to their villages, unknowing the infection in them, formed clusters of the organisation in their villages and towns; a high chance for super spreading.
Kerala and the great Attukul Pongala festival amid coronavirus scare.
After reporting six fresh cases of Corona in the Kerala state, the Health Minister dismisses to call off the festival in which Millions of women participated. Even though there were serious precautions took by the health department for the devotees coming to the festival, but the number of the people present were in huge mount. There were no cases reported after the festival but conducting such a large festival in a state with fresh cases of COVID was not a good decision.
- The state government’s decision to let the festival happen has raised eyebrows as it goes against the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines suggesting that people, especially children and elderly, should avoid crowded areas.
- The government has been claiming that the Pongala could not be avoided as preparations have been on for months and that no positive cases were reported during the time.
- But even 24 hours before the festival, Sunday saw five positive cases of the corona virus in the state’s Pathanamthitta district.
- There is a wide criticism on the Kerala Government as they allowed to conduct the festival due to a political gain rather than religious gain.That is; looking forward to the local body election which is to be held in October and the state election in 2021. “After the Sabarimala controversy, the LDF government in Kerala is scared. Pongala like Sabarimala is a sensitive issue and, clearly, the government is not bold enough to ban the festivities,” said the Thiruvananthapuram-based political commentator Jacob George.
Hope LDF had few hyper pressure sleepless nights….
Yogi Adityanath’s Ceremony inside the Ram Janmabhoomi amidst Modi’s Lock down.
Hours after the Prime Minsters appeal to the people on 21 days complete lock down and strictly observe social distancing, The chief minister of UP along with 20 others attended a ceremony in Ayodhya. The video footages reveal the lack of social distancing among the members. The large plan on conducting the festival was dropped due to the lock down but this act of Yogi and his friends were not appreciated by many leaders and people around the world as it go completely against the words of Prime Minister.
Religion V/s Superstition for COVID-19
The Great “Thali Bajao” event; and the mass gathering rather than Distancing.
The Thali Bajo event announced by PM in his COVID speech, even though lead to appreciation in may places but was a disaster when superstition get caught on it. Social Medias have brought people celebrating the event in festive-mood at different places of the nation. The superstition of elimination of virus when they get subjected to the noise of plates was widely spread and some how people believed it, took plates, formed possessions, danced…. praising lord, singing, beating….Thali Bjao to Corona..
The Great Cow dung bath and Gaumutra party; rather than a Proper Hygiene
Swami Chakrapani Maharaj, president of the Hindu Mahasabha—a century-old organization that advocates Hindutva (or “Hinduness”)—declared that “consuming cow urine and cow dung will stop the effect of infectious corona virus.” The swami added that a “person who chants ‘om namah shivay’ and applies cow dung” on his body “will be saved.” The Sanskrit chant is a salutation to Shiva, a Hindu deity. The videos of people having a Cow dung bath, standing in the sun saying its divinity is viral in Social Medias… *Meanwhile Speechless WHO!
Gaumutra Party!
People lined up for their share of cow urine being poured from kettles into ‘kulhads’, at a ‘gaumutra party’ (cow urine party) here organised by Swami Chakrapani, the president of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.The event began with a ‘yagna’ and prayers to the cow and the virus itself, asking it to leave peacefully and not kill any more people. A large poster in the backdrop depicted an avatar of Hindu god Narsingh as the virus.At the event, Chakrapani claimed that COVID-19 is an “avatar” that has “come to punish those who eat non-vegetarian food.”Asking for forgiveness from the virus on behalf of meat eaters, he pledged that Indians will never eat meat again. “Coronavirus has come because of the people who kill and eat animals. When you kill an animal, it creates a sort of energy that causes destruction in that place,” said Chakprapani at the event.“They (global leaders) should get cow urine imported from India because the almighty resides only in the Indian cow and not in any foreign breed,” he said.
GO CORONA! CORONA GO! The Abstract chants rather than giving some Hope…
In the prayer meeting held in Mumbai, Union Minister of state Ramdas Athawale led chants of Go Corona! Corona Go! along with his Chinese friend. The video got viral and gained international criticism.
Have Fear For Corona too!
Its true that every religious person have fear in God. Likewise everyone should fear Corona too! bcz Corona does not check out if you are a believer, an agnostic or an atheist. Recently there was a twitter post of GOD( Someone who claims to be God in twitter), with a mask in his face and saying to the one who gathers in the name of him;
Several Religions were also role model in controlling the spread of the pandemic especially, The activities like; closing the Mecca, The Live telecast of prayer service from Vatican, closing down the churches and temples….so on are good signs in the battle of Corona. Try to be in your home self quarantine and protect the community form the spread rather than acting stupidly. #StaySafe
