The Markaz, Nizamuddin in Delhi is at the heart of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak in the country. Hundreds of potential infections have occurred during a religious event organized at the place earlier this month. Moreover, around 2500 people were housed at the Masjid as late as the 22nd of March and after 1,500 of them left on the 23rd, around a thousand people were still holed up inside.

The whole episode escalated when 163 people who were present at the Markaz, Nizamuddin were admitted to the Lok Nayak Hospital after showing symptoms of the Wuhan Coronavirus. At least eight people who attended the event have died of the virus thus far. The Delhi Police on Monday announced that it will request the Delhi Police to register an FIR against the Maulana of Markaz, Nizamuddin. Since then, an FIR has been registered against the Maulana and others under Section 3 of The Epidemic Diseases Act (1897) for organizing the Islamic event at Markz, Nizamuddin amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

Now, a video has surfaced where the Maulana of Markaz, Nizamuddin can be heard speaking on the Wuhan Coronavirus. The speech is apparently from the 23rd of March. The speech makes his callous attitude towards the pandemic quite clear. The video begins with the Maulana saying that a person cannot run away from death because Allah has mandated that death lies ahead of a person, not behind.

At one point during the sermon, the Maulana says that Muslims should be praying to angels if they are sick. He says how can any doctor save someone from a disease if seventy thousand farishtey (angels) cannot save them. He further says that now is not the time to spread panic and neither is it the time for ‘achhoot banana, achoot bana na’, presumably referring to the call for social distancing made by the Government of India. He repeatedly says that in times of such crisis, Muslims should worship Allah more instead.

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The Maulana of Markaz, Nizamuddin says that Mosques are being shut down for congregation which is wrong. He further asked Muslims how could they believe that being in close proximity could infect them with the Wuhan Coronavirus. He questioned Muslims why do they not believe that Allah is protecting them at this time of crisis. The Maulana declared the suggestions given by health experts to be a conspiracy against Islam. According to him, all the preventive measures recommended are part of a conspiracy to ensure that Muslims do not eat from the same plate and do not sit together.

Screenshot of the video of the Maulana’s full speech uploaded on the YouTube page of Delhi Markaz

The Maulana of Markaz Nizamuddin told Muslims that the Wuhan Coronavirus shall pass but their faith in Islam should remain. He dubbed the virus a conspiracy to separate Muslims from each other. He said that Muslims should not continue to stay together and the recitation of the Namaz should never stop. The Maulana contended that new diseases are spreading across the world because new manners of sins have also developed. Throughout the discourse, people from the Jamaat can be heard coughing.

Given the Maulana’s speech, it is no surprise that the Markaz, Nizamuddin in Delhi has become the hotspot for the Wuhan Coronavirus. A huge number of infections have been linked to the event at the Masjid which is also the global centre for the Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary organization that is known to be used by terrorist organizations to secure travel for their members. The Tablighi Jamaat is also responsible for spreading the Wuhan Coronavirus across numerous countries in the region as well.