Items

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  2020-04-16

  Hindu Nationalists Blame Muslims For India's COVID-19 Crisis

  This article discusses the growing tensions between Hindu nationalists and Muslims in India. Hindu's have been blaming many of the problems in Indian society on Muslims and Christian missionaries, but this is another example of them attempting to place the blame on Coronavirus on Muslims. India is ripe for a coronavirus explosion in cases due to the large number of people in these packed together spaces. There are multiple false videos circulating through Whatsapp and other various social media sites like Facebook depicting Muslims spitting and distributing currency and attempting to spread the virus. This video is false. Additionally, there was a massive Islamic conference that helped spread the virus through different parts of the country which has enflared tempers and made the situation worse. On top of the pandemic, India needs to find a way to cool religious tensions or there will be even greater ramifications than the virus. For now, as NPR notes, India needs to focus on the response and figure out how to flag false information on Whatsapp and other social media.
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  2020-04-07

  Coronavirus Is Changing The Rituals Of Death For Many Religions

  The article discusses changes that have been made to religious grieving ceremonies as a result of COVID. Various world religions have traditional services to honor their the dead. For example, Hindus have traditionally burned corpses on pyres near the Ganges river and Muslims have gathered to wash the bodies of their loved ones. However, due to government restrictions on social gatherings, these elaborate ceremonies are unable to continue normally, forcing people to temporarily suspend cultural practices and prioritize health safety.