Today, the world's stockpile of weapons and ammunitions, both nuclear and conventional, have proven to be impotent in the face of a small virus that has penetrated the entire world. This must give us a cause for reflection, as we realize that confrontation and building weapons is not going to get us anywhere, neither in terms of combating this virus nor in terms of establishing peace and stability throughout the world.
Furthermore, this pandemic has proven to be an equal of opportunity attacker. It has attacked all countries, all races, all religions and people from different ways of life. And if anything, it has brought to us a sense of humility and it should bring to us a sense of fraternity and common purpose.
As we speak, faith is helping billions of people get through this difficult time. All the more important is to give religious leaders the tools they need to assist in this effort. I will propose a few concrete steps that will hopefully aid in that process.
First, we must call out and address xenophobia and racism in any manifestation or form. We are seeing increased attacks against people of Asian and African descent, many of whom are Muslims. Addressing xenophobia is not only the right thing to do, it is the correct public health policy. Xenophobia victims are afraid to come forward for testing or treatment if they have COVID-19 symptoms, allowing the virus to spread further.
Second, we must encourage religious leaders to follow the guidance of public health experts. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman took the extraordinary and painful decision of suspending prayers in the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah for the first time in centuries and during the holiest month of Ramadan, based on the advice of public health experts. This confirms what we all know, that Islam promotes life rather than death. It promotes the preservation of human health and well-being, as a first priority. This was a very difficult decision as many people were looking to be in their house of worship. Religious leaders need to be that bridge for their congregation during this difficult time. It should be noted that this decision was supported by the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, and by many similar councils throughout the world.
Third, religious leaders can help identify the most vulnerable groups for non-governmental organizations, non-profits and non-government organizations to get help to. Since faith promotes serving at risk parts of society, religious leaders are in a unique position to identify homelessness, food insecurity, economic insecurity and health challenges.
Fourth, we must be weary of conspiracy theories. During times of stress, conspiracy theories abound from the claims that some foundations want to insert microchips into people, to COVID-19 being a hoax. People trust their local imam, pastor and rabbi. It is important to use this platform of confidence to disseminate public health experts' advice and to defuse notions of unfounded theories and accusations.
Religious leaders can have substantial influence on individuals and communities. They should use their moral authority in order to raise awareness, encourage people to follow precautionary measures that are put in place for the containment and overcome the multitude of challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic we, the peoples of the world, are facing.
