Abstract
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global public health threat over the last few months. Historically, infectious disease outbreaks like the plague, Influenza, cholera, HIV, etc. have generated stigma, prejudice, “othering” and xenophobia, against certain communities. One such prevalent form of xenophobia, is Islamophobia or “fear and discrimination against the Muslims.” Though debated over its various facets and definitions, it is on the rise worldwide. India, being a socio-politically diverse and populous nation, has been facing unique challenges during COVID-19. Considering Hinduism and Islam are the two major religious communities, the subcontinent has witnessed complex dynamics in their relationship throughout history. The pandemic has further instigated Islamophobia, and consequent discrimination, as well as unrest. This can have significant effect of public behavior and health. In the recent past, few legislations in India were interpreted to be Islamophobic and generated nation-wide protest, which provided a fertile backdrop against the discriminative effects of the pandemic. Keeping this in background, this commentary highlights the social contexts of increase in Islamophobia in India during the pandemic, discusses the possible psychological explanations and public health impact, as well as outlines some ways to mitigate it focusing on collectivism.
Highlights
The world has faced a new public health threat over the last few months
Every nation has been facing their unique psychosocial challenges and India, being one of the socio-culturally and religion-wise diverse and populous country, specific issues have been faced by certain “outgroups.” One such outgroup in the Indian context are the Muslims, who have time and gain come under accusations and harassment related to the infection
Kim et al [3] tested the influence of individualism and collectivism on xenophobic response to the threat of Ebola. They found that those who perceived themselves to be more vulnerable to Ebola were more xenophobic and displayed greater prejudice toward West Africans and immigrants, this association was weaker among people who were more collectivistic
Summary
The world has faced a new public health threat over the last few months. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected nearly 69 million and claimed the lives of more than 1.57 million, around the world (World Health Organization COVID-19 Situation Report, as on December 10, 2020). Every nation has been facing their unique psychosocial challenges and India, being one of the socio-culturally and religion-wise diverse and populous country, specific issues have been faced by certain “outgroups.” One such outgroup in the Indian context are the Muslims, who have time and gain come under accusations and harassment related to the infection Keeping this in background, this article provides some perspectives for rising Islamophobia in India, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic and briefly draws implications for policy and practice. There were reports that alleged that the Tablighi Jamaat members admitted to a hospital refused to take medicines, spit on their hands and touched staircase railing, and misbehaved with the medical staff [19] Terms such as “Coronajihad” became popular on social media, as an expression of willful misuse of the COVID-19 infection by certain religious communities, in order to establish their superiority.
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