//11 Mar 2020
In early 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu, Twitter hashtags #GoBackModi and #TNWelcomesModi were both trending. An analytics report nailed these hashtags as the handiwork of bots, not human users. Such fake influences on social media are hard to beat. A recent research published in the prestigious journal Science tracked down millions of Twitter posts and found fake news and rumours spread faster than truth. In fighting fake news, we are in for the long haul. In contrast, coronavirus might be contained, even if not entirely eliminated, by a combination of quarantining, hygiene measures and possibly medicines.//
https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2020/mar/11/the-networks-behind-the-coronavirus-spread-2115110.html
//06 Apr 2020
Authorities said they want to test or quarantine those who congregated at the event held by the missionary movement, Tablighi Jamaat, between March 10-12 over fears they are now spreading COVID-19 across Pakistan and overseas.
Tablighi mosques and the movement's other places of worship were shut down or marked as quarantine centres at the end of March.
Pakistan's Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry earlier expressed exasperation that the event had gone ahead, blaming the "stubbornness of the clergy".//
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/pakistan-quarantines-20000-tabligh-gathering-lahore-200406075221220.html
//07 Apr 2020
Of about 4,400 COVID-19 positive cases in India, nearly a third are related to the religious gathering at the Markaz, as the Jamaat headquarters is known. The government claimed more than 8,000 people, including foreigners, visited the headquarters in early March.
While accusing the Jamaat leadership of "carelessness" during a global pandemic, experts and civil society members also blamed the central government for its delayed response and allowing foreigners, particularly those coming from COVID-19 hotspot nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia, into India
"Our doubling rate is 4.1 days at present. But if additional cases reported due to the Tablighi Jamaat had not happened, then the doubling rate would have been 7.4 days," Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in India's Ministry of Health, told reporters on Sunday.
The group was vilified by the mainstream media for its "carelessness", and the country's 200 million Muslims were blamed for spreading the virus that has killed more than 70,000 people worldwide.
#CoronaJihad trended on Twitter, with many ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders calling the religious gathering "corona terrorism" - a term many said hinted at the Islamophobia of the governing party.//
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/tablighi-jamaat-event-india-worst-coronavirus-vector-200407052957511.html
//13 Apr 2020
Andrew Pierce, a journalist for the Daily Mail tabloid, tweeted on Sunday: "If families gather for holy month of Ramadan will there be a huge spike in Covid cases. Doctors are very worried."
An article published by The Times on the same day evoked similar sentiments, after it, too, suggested an increase in coronavirus cases due to a predicted increase in gatherings during Ramadan - despite social distancing regulations - leading with the headline, "Experts fear a spike in UK coronavirus cases during Ramadan".
Tell Mama, a group which monitors anti-Muslim attacks, reported dozens of incidents in March, where far-right groups were supposedly spreading conspiracy theories blaming Muslims for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group have also had to debunk numerous social media posts spreading fake news. Among them was a tweet alleging some Muslims in Wembley, northwest London, were ignoring social distancing regulations by praying on the road.//
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/anger-wing-uk-voices-predict-ramadan-virus-spread-200413170844190.html
//19 Apr 2020
“[We] urge the Indian Govt to take urgent steps to stop the growing tide of Islamophobia in India and protect the rights of its persecuted Muslim minority as per its obligations under international Human Rights law,” said a tweet issued by OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (OIC-IPHRC) on 19 Apr.
On 18 Apr, it also held an expert hearing on “Religious Freedom on South Asia”, organised by the “Hindus for Human Rights”, “Indian-American Muslim Council” and “International Christian Concern,” ahead of its annual USCIRF report release on April 28, where India has been categorised as a “tier 2 country of particular concern.”
“As if its peremptory commentary on religious freedom in India is not enough, the USCIRF is now spreading misguided reports on the professional medical protocols followed to deal with spread of COVID-19 in India,” the MEA spokesperson had said.//
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/islamophobia-is-rising-in-india-says-organisation-of-islamic-cooperation/article31383624.ece
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