- Scapegoating Coronavirus
What on earth is wrong with the human race? We are in the midst of a global crisis and instead of banding together to combat this deadly common enemy, leading world powers are at each other’s throats and civility in several others is coming apart at the seams.
While the world has changed much since the outbreak of the virus– life and lifestyles–core human nature remains unchanged. Deeprooted biases, hate, suspicion, distrust, dissent, blame, threats, stereotypes and impatience have sprung up. Testing the limits and crossing boundaries.
The coronavirus pandemic throughout the world has not nurtured compassion for the suffering humanity and has given birth instead to conspiracy theories, which have fueled smear campaigns most vile and absurd.
US President Donald Trump is now pointing his hyperactive accusing finger towards China for the illegitimate birth of the coronavirus that has stunted global economy and kept more than half of humanity in a lockdown.
Trump’s latest claim is that the virus was manufactured in a Wuhan lab over four months back. China was quick to rubbish the claim as an attempt to improve chances of his re-election in the November presidential election. Few weeks earlier, Trump had dubbed Covid-19 the “China virus” and Beijing had hit back saying that it was actually transported to Wuhan by US military men. US secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former CIA Chief, claimed last week to have “enormous evidence” that this novel virus originated in a Chinese laboratory. No proof of either claim has come forward yet.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also been in President Trump’s line of fire for allegedly being “soft” on China, and for not being transparent about the virus. So now the USA has put both China and WHO on notice. US funding to WHO has already been suspended, and China warned of dire consequences, including a threat of new tariffs. China has reacted by offering additional funds for WHO.
Truth as we know can never be truthful enough. Truth in these uncertain and turbulent times seems to have lost its power. Reality is not what it always appears to be. Truth is often buried under multiple layers of biases, assumptions, falsehood, fiction, and misrepresentation. Any attempt to spin facts and conceal truth with falsehood eventually backfires and those behind are bound to get exposed sooner rather than later
A simple fact behind this smokescreen of accusations and finger pointing: with its count of 75,000-plus deaths and almost 1.3 million infections, the US is the worst hit in the world and has been unable to cope effectively with the enormity of the pandemic. The Trump Administration has been under scathing criticism over its handling of the outbreak and is desperately looking for scapegoats to cover up its own failures.
The US-China spat has stalled a very important UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a 90-day humanitarian pause (ceasefire) in some 20 conflict zones around the world to facilitate the fight against the pandemic. Apparently, the sticking point is the mention of the WHO. China insists on it while US opposes it.
When something goes terribly wrong and is not fathomable, the inherent human instinct is to be in denial, look for scapegoats or simply take refuge in some conspiracy theories. This is precisely what President Trump and the likes of him have been doing. For Trump this is the best way to deflect attention from his failures that stem largely from his overweening arrogance and political ambition.
In India under the leadership of anti-Muslim Prime Minister Modi, Indian Muslims have been blamed for spreading the virus. So much so that even the US secretary of State without naming India called upon the international community to avoid scapegoating Muslims for the disease.
There has been a vicious campaign against India’s Muslim community by the ruling BJP leaders, courtesy the Indian media, alleging that it had conspired to propagate the disease. This after a Tableeghi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi in March. Some venomous BJP leaders have coined phrases such as “corona terrorism” and “Corona jihad” to stigmatize the already vulnerable and marginalized Muslim community of about 200 million. This new wave of Islamophobic hysteria whipped up by the increasingly anti-Muslim Hindutva state further threatens the security of the Muslims who are already facing humiliation and discrimination. Even India’s Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been highly critical of the BJP on this front, saying it was spreading the “virus of communal prejudice”.
Meanwhile here in Pakistan, a celebrated religious speaker, Maulana Tariq Jameel, made a startling revelation on the eve of Ramadan: that a breed of shameless ultra-modern women were responsible for the curse (azab) of Covid-19. Basically, implying that ‘wrongdoing of women’ and their immodesty had caused wrath of God in the shape of the devil called Coronavirus. So all discredit for this pandemic goes to the womenfolk– the super spreaders! And this observation was made by the Maulana in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan during a special prayer at the conclusion of the live telecast of Ehsaas Telethon. During the live telecast, the Maulana also blamed the media for spreading falsehood. The Maulana, whose eyes may have caught the sinful sight of the scantily dressed ‘immodest’ women, perhaps forgot to mention rapists, murderers, kidnappers, suicide bombers, drug peddlers, terrorists and extortionists who too could have been a cause for this divine retribution.
However, following outrage by human rights activists and media the Maulana, who has a huge following, was gracious enough to apologize to nail the controversy his comments had sparked. But the harm was done. Seeds of discord had been sown in many vulnerable minds. A storm was triggered on the social media with the Maulana’s supporters viciously attacking both women and media in a manner most foul. Strange that response or defense to any sweeping statement made by influential, popular and powerful personalities evoke such a hostile reaction. Granted we are all entitled to our opinion but that entitlement does not give any of us the license to hurl profanities in the most uncivilized fashion. Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, who was bold enough to criticize Maulana’s “misogynist” remarks through a tweet, was given much flak with demands that she be removed from office.
Meanwhile our Prime Minister Imran Khan, the captain of confusion with an unbeaten record of U-turns and a sworn enemy of the Opposition, recently blamed the ‘elite’ for the lockdown in the country. A lockdown he had himself announced!
So what then is the truth in all this? Truth as we know can never be truthful enough. Truth in these uncertain and turbulent times seems to have lost its power. Reality is not what it always appears to be. Truth is often buried under multiple layers of biases, assumptions, falsehood, fiction, and misrepresentation. Any attempt to spin facts and conceal truth with falsehood eventually backfires and those behind are bound to get exposed sooner rather than later.
Spiritually speaking there is a veil beyond which we cannot see. So it is best to leave all judgment calls for the Judgment Day! Meanwhile, keep striving for the truth no matter how relative it may be.
“Truth is the same thing to the understanding as music to the ear or beauty to the eye.”
-G.N. Clark
