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Muslim
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2020-03-13
COVID 19, and its affect on my morality
During the Pandemic, I actually had the time to sit and reflect on my religion and take time to learn from Allah swt. I strengthened my relationship with him and became a better Muslim throughout these times during the pandemic. The pandemic has provided an unexpected opportunity for many individuals to deepen their connection to their faith, again, including myself. As I found myself with more time for introspection and reflection, I was able to delve into the teachings and practices of Islam in a way that I hadn't before. This period of isolation allowed me to prioritize my spiritual growth and strengthen my relationship with Allah. I am grateful for this newfound connection to Islam and am committed to continuing my journey of Islam. "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 2, Hadith 12) This hadith emphasizes the importance of treating others as we would like to be treated, which is a fundamental principle of Islam. It highlights the idea that our faith is not just about personal piety, but also about fostering a sense of community and compassion for others. By loving and caring for our fellow human beings, we can strengthen our connection to both our faith and to each other, which is especially important during times of hardship and uncertainty like the pandemic. -
2020-03-21
The Day the Call to Prayer Changed in Cairo
If there's one thing you can count on in the Muslim world, it's the call to prayer (adhan) audibly marking the sun's path through the sky, and everyone's route to a mosque, five times a day. It might sound a little different in various regions, a little more musical in Egypt, a little less practiced sometimes in Kyrgyzstan, but it's always the call to prayer, and has been for over 1000 years. But across the Muslim world in March 2020, as mosques closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the call to prayer was adapted. Instead of saying, "Come to prayer, come to salvation" it said in Egypt, "Pray in your homes, pray on your travels." The wording had been changed like this a few times in the past when mosques were closed because of war or plague or weather, but I honestly never thought I'd hear it myself. The call to prayer seems constant and unchanging, part of the highly sensory experience of Muslim prayer, so this adaptation made the pandemic more present for everyone in Egypt. I'm not Muslim myself, but I talked with Muslim friends all over the world about the change in the adhan. One woman in Kuwait said, "It just sounds so... ominous.. especially at maghrib prayer, it's sunset and getting dark, and the voice over the loudspeakers is saying to stay home... also because I have never, ever heard them change it like this before. Ever. It's like I'm waiting for an eclipse, and the flocks of birds flying away, animals fleeing, etc." I took this video during the last prayer of the day on 21 March 2020 at a mosque near our apartment in Cairo, Egypt. If you're not familiar with the adhan, you obviously won't notice anything different, but this rendition is beautiful even if you don't understand it. If you do, the new wording begins at 1:13. The beginning of the video is a little bumpy while we were getting to the right spot, but then it settles down a bit. -
2022-05-09
I can't even make this up anymore
First off, I do not agree with the attached pdf to this story. When I first looked at this awful website, and saw that they had FREE DOWNLOADABLE PRINTS, I immediately sighed because this is the type of stuff that's turning people AWAY from getting a vaccine. These people are the reason why people can't trust "media". It is also very obvious that these people have never taken a history or any type of political science class in their lives. Let's analyze a little bit of what they say. First off, in their step 1 of "create a problem" they compare COVID-19 to something like the flu. Given, I'm sure people have died from the flu. I mean, the influenza pandemic was a thing in 1918. Also important that they even wore masks then! Their step 2 is "provoke a terrified reaction". What I'm getting from this is, we shouldn't be worried. But we should. Any pandemic should be worrying. I can also guarantee you as well that these people didn't give a shit when the AIDS/HIV Epidemic was literally killing so many queer people at an alarming rate, and wasn't addressed until 6 years later after it started. Anyways, the steps that talk about "contact tracing" and "health passports" things are interesting. They talk about surveillance, but surveillance has been happening since the dawn of time. I'm sure muslim's everywhere in the United States could talk more about surveillance than I could as a white person. Health passports? You have to have certain vaccines to attend public school or even a public university. Also, actual passports are a thing. You know, the thing you need to tell other people who you are and where you're from when you visit their country. I'm going to jump to step 10's "Impose a Cashless Economy," anyone that has ever handled cash during a job knows how gross cash is. This pamphlet must've been when the pandemic first happened, because that's when my last job couldn't take cash because we were too afraid to touch anything. Now knowing the information I know now, a lot of places take cash now. But also, people are gross. Half of the time, people are sneezing into their hands or not washing their hands and come out of the bathroom and go to pay and give you cash. Don't even get me started on people pulling money out of their bras. Throughout this entire pdf, they talk about the elite. Which is probably the only thing I agree with them because the rich got richer during the lockdown and even made prices higher. This type of propaganda could be harmful to someone that was already on the fence about vaccines, but the fact that this information is out there instead of the actual science based truth is harmful. It uses familiar words from history to persuade people to not get the vaccine. -
2022-04-29
College & Religion ft. COVID-19
When I was in the second semester of my freshman year at ASU studying Computer Science, we had started hearing word of a virus slowly spreading around the world. Halfway through that semester, it had reached a point where my universities had shut down in-person sessions and ASU had announced initially a 2-week online period, which then quickly ended up being the rest of the semester. For someone who was extremely to get the full college experience, it was very disheartening to have to cut out a decent chunk of our college life. However, with time and acceptance of the current world situation, I was able to quickly adapt and thrive with the new fully-online learning environment. Although, amidst being able to adapt to the new university online life, it was a very different story when it came to my religion. As Muslims, we are very accustomed to being a close-knit community. It is an obligation to attend a group prayer on Friday afternoons on a weekly basis. This is something I have been attending ever since my parents had taught me this at a young age. However, with the way the virus was spreading and considering how crowded mosques tend to get at Friday prayers, they were forced to close down. This had a major affect on many Muslims as it is a big part of our daily routine. On top of that, when the month of Ramadan had come around, mosques could not stay open for the late-night prayers that everyone was so accustomed to attending on a daily basis. With a little more time and a lot of prayers, this year mosques has opened at full capacity for weekly Friday prayers and nightly prayers at the mosque for the month of Ramadan. From a religious perspective, COVID-19 had taught a lot of us to develop more patience than we were initially used to and have faith in our religion that at the end of the day, whatever happens in this world always has an underlying reason. -
2020-04-23
The Indonesian Nahdlatul Ulama Movement and the Pandemic
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is the world's largest Muslim organization. This article describes it's efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. -
2020-04-30
The Indonesian Muhammadiyah Movement and the COVID-19 Pandemic
This article describes the ways in which the Indonesian Muslim Muhammadiyah organization responded to the onset of the pandemic. -
2021-07-22
Hajj pilgrimage 2021
This CNN article/photos show how the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is impacted by COVID for the second year in a row. The article states that, typically, 2 million Muslims worldwide go to Mecca for the Hajj, but this year, it is expected that only 60,000 residents will attend. Worshippers must be fully vaccinated and nonresidents are not allowed to attend. -
2021-02-16
"The Nation of Islam, Caring for the Black Body, and Vaccine Hesitancy"
The history of the Nation of Islam and its resistance to traditional American medical practices adds critical context to explain why some African Americans do not want to COVID vaccine. -
2020-05
Fighting Pandemics: Inspiration from Islam
In this article, various Muslims outline how their faith has guided them through the pandemic. For many, faith and religion have been their guidance through the COVID-19 crises. Unfortunately, the pandemic has restricted how Muslims have been able to practice their faith. While this article is specifically written with practicing Muslims as the target audience, one need not be of the Islamic faith to learn and appreciate how the faith can aid in our understanding of the world during the pandemic. -
2020-12-23
Malaysia Islamic Authorities Say Covid Shots are Permissible
This article speaks of the way the Islamic world in Malaysia has reacted to the COVID-19 vaccine. The citizens of Malaysia are overwhelmingly Islamic as over 61% of those who live there identify as Muslim. The concern for many Muslims in Malaysia is not based in a religious belief against medicine; rather, many were concerned that some of the ingredients in the vaccine may violate their faith. However, the Islamic religious authorities in Malaysia are encouraging Muslims to receive the vaccine. -
2020-11-09
Covid-19 and Religious Observance
Religious observance was one of the many aspects of daily life affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In my home country of Bahrain, congregational prayers were prohibited in mid-March, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The Friday prayers were restricted to only a single mosque, Bahrain’s largest. Under normal circumstances, Muslim congregants would stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer. This was no longer the case as seen in the photo, social distancing and mask wearing was enforced. The Islamic call prayer (the Azan) was altered, the normal line summoning the faithful to prayer “come to prayer, come to good deeds” was instead replaced with the line “pray in your homes” (as seen in the attached video, which I recorded in Bahrain on). It was surreal hearing this for the time. The Covid-19 pandemic was the first event, at least in my lifetime, where this was done. Historically, this had precedents in times of plague. Moreover, the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, which draws millions to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia every year, was this year limited to a symbolic 1,000 pilgrims. Having attended the Haj myself a decade earlier and been in the midst of the human masses that descend on Mecca, it was very strange to observe the images of the few socially distanced pilgrims which undertook the Hajj in late July 2020. -
2020-04-24
A Ramadan unlike any other
During the Holy month of Ramadan, those who are fortunate make their pilgrimage around the Ka'aba to increase their blessings. During this time, in an effort to limit contagion from the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia has ordered for this place to be emptied. The emptiness that surrounds the Holy place hits hard for any Muslim, knowing that they are unable to pray in the congregation during this difficult time. At the same time, mosques are being closed to limit the spread and follow the precautionary guidelines. -
2020-05-24
'The strangest Ramadan ever:' Ottawa Muslims celebrate Eid with drive-in prayer
This article relays photographs taken and interviews conducted at an Ottawa mosque during physically distanced Eid al-Fitr services. -
2020-04-01
“Being a Muslim, I believe faith is an important part of my life."
“Being a Muslim, I believe faith is an important part of my life. It gives me a lot of comfort and relief. I think it is important to have faith and that this pandemic will be resolved as soon as possible.” “No, all of the mosques and religious centers are closed at the moment. Basically, I have been praying at home instead and I have not been able to attend my local mosque in weeks.” “Yes, they are. My local mosque has been asking for donations to help the homeless and poor. These people that are given food and supplies so it is necessary to get them some sort of assistance especially during these hard times.” -
2020-05-12
Perspective of a First Generation Pakistani American University Student: The benefits of a campus and the difficult transition to the "Virtual Classroom"
#CSUS #HIST15H -
2020-04-22
COVID-19: Jakarta extends PSBB through Ramadan
News about Large Scale Social Restrictions in Jakarta -
4/29/2020
Ramadan in Quarantine
Ramadan began on Friday April 24th, in the middle of a pandemic. Muslims around the world are used to congregating at the mosque every night for the duration of the month. They gather to pray together and listen to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. This year’s Ramadan experience is very different. Although we miss going to the mosque and praying with friends, this month is truly special because the quarantine is allowing us to focus on our relationship with God, with no distractions. It’s a blessing that we are safe and healthy, at home with family, and still able to fast and worship. In this picture, my brother, who has memorized the Holy Qur’an, is leading my family in prayer. One verse he recited on this night can be translated as: “But God is your protector, and He is the best of helpers (3:150).” This was a beautiful reminder to trust in God during these difficult times, as He is the One who provides and cares for us. -
2020-04-16
India hospital segregates Muslim and Hindu coronavirus patients
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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. -
2020-04-12
In India, Coronavirus Fans Religious Hatred
Muslim people in India have been the target of brutal attacks, after the Indian Health Ministry blamed the spread of covid-19 in India on the Muslims. People of Islamic faith prior to this virus were already racially and religiously persecuted in India, and this claim is making it even worst. The fact of the matter is that the Health Ministry's claim wasn't wrong. The spread of coronavirus in India can be traced back to one Islamic Seminary. Once they began being attacked and broken up, that group of Islamic worshipers fled all throughout the country, spreading the deadly virus. In an already Muslim-hating country, the prejudice and violence is growing even stronger because of this coronavirus claim. -
2020-04-03
Coronavirus: Islamophobia concerns after India mosque outbreak
In the article, it is discussing how a Muslim gathering increased the number of coronavirus cases in India. Many Indians, especially the Indian government, are angry because Muslims recently held a large gathering with people who came from abroad. From this situation, many Indians are seeing Muslims as individuals who are creating more problems in the country by attending these congregations carelessly and not following the government’s advice. Therefore, there has been an increase in Islamophobia due to this event, and the Indian government has even charged the Muslim clerics for not taking the coronavirus despite the government’s warning. -
2020-03-26
Muslim and Jewish paramedics pause to pray together. One of many inspiring moments in the coronavirus crisis
This article is about a Muslim and Jewish paramedic who work together in Jerusalem, a land of so much conflict. Despite general tension between the two religious groups, both men find time during the day to pray together, in their own ways. The picture of the paramedics is powerful because it shows how both men have faith in God, respect for each other, and the desire to be of service to their community. -
2020-04-14
The Coronavirus Is Empowering Islamophobes — but Exposing the Idiocy of Islamophobia
The article describes how the COVID-19 virus is being used to promote Islamophobia. The COVID-19 virus is being used by political groups to promote Islamophobia. For example, in India the BJP named the COVID-19 virus “corona jihad” and blame Muslims for spreading the virus. Multiple media outlets have presented Islamophobic ideas that Muslims are responsible for the COVID-19 virus. -
2020-04-21
Living Life Under COVID-19
This image is an attempt by an Islamic University and non-profit organization to create a sense of unity and proliferate information among the world's Muslims by hosting various lectures and presentations by contemporary academics on a diversity of issues facing the Muslim community today. This webinar series is hosted everyday during the blessed month of Ramadan. Topics range from the Soft Power of Football to What the West Could Learn from the Life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ #VART3030 -
2020-04-21
Living Life Under COVID-19
In the Muslim month of Ramadan, it is believed that the Devil a.k.a. Shaytaan or Satan is locked up, thus making the month of fasting easier for the individual Muslims to spiritually progress and develop their character since they only have to battle with their inner self and its desires. These meme comments on the fact that just like Satan is locked up during Ramadan, all Muslims have been locked up due to COVID-19. -
2020-03-23
Mass Religious Gathering In Pakistan Leads To Fresh Concerns Over COVID-19 Spread
The diplomat Ahmed Rabi said there was supposed to be a two-day gathering on march 12th in eastern Pakistan. The gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat which is a Muslim missionary group brought together thousands of Muslim preachers from 80 countries and they have raised concerns about the spread of the virus. One member Arif Rana said the gathering was canceled on March 12th because of rain but the Punjab chief master said it ended because of the coronavirus fears. -
2020-03-12
How Religions Are Adapting to Coronavirus
The article desrbies how churches, mosques and synogogues are adapting to the new way of pacticing their religions. A Catholic church in Seattle has removed it's holy water from the fonts and the communal chalice will no longer be used. A Synagogue in East Village are holding services via livestream for Purim for those who wish to stay home. However, congregants can still attend service in person with the following changes: no covering eyes with hands during the Sh'ma and no kissing the Torah during processional. And a Muslim mosque in Seattle has suspended jumah prayers for the next two weeks where the CDC has restritcted gatherings of 10 or more people. -
2020-04-13
Saudi Arabia Races to Contain Epidemic in Islam’s Holiest City
This article is about Saudi authorities rushing to contain COVID-19 in the Islamic holy city of Mecca. It goes on to talk about how Saudi Arabia is doing everything they can to shield Mecca specifically because of its importance to the worlds Muslim population.