Muslim leaders in India say a belief that the coronavirus is not real has spread in their communities, but that they have been working through mosques to change those perceptions.
MUMBAI - The purple ink stamped on Iqbal Hussain Siddiqui's hand by Indian health workers was supposed to ensure he stayed home under quarantine.
His suspicions were echoed by a half-dozen other Muslims whom Reuters talked to in Dharavi, even though community leaders say they have been trying to convince people that the health workers are in the district to protect them from COVID-19. There is no official breakdown of coronavirus cases by religion. But many Muslims feel unfairly blamed for spreading the disease after a cluster emerged at a gathering of Muslim missionaries in New Delhi last month. Sensational news coverage about the event, fanned by some Hindu nationalist politicians, helped spur the trending topic"Coronajihad" on social media.
Despite those efforts, public health experts warn that suspicions about the government's intentions in a community of around 200 million people could complicate India's push to stamp out the virus. "We have to go and tell the community: 'Please, this has nothing to do with NRC. This is for your safety,'" said Imtiaz Jaleel, a member of the All India Council of the Union of Muslims, an opposition party.
Gatherings of the Tablighi - an orthodox proselytizing group - have been linked to major spreads of coronavirus cases across India, Malaysia and Pakistan.
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