Holding whole Muslim community responsible for Tablighi event is wrong: NCM

In a letter to PIB Principal Director General K S Dhatwalia, National Commission for Minorities Joint Secretary Daniel E. Richards has outlined the issue of whole Muslim community being considered responsible for Tablighi Jamaat's religious congregation is wrong.

New Delhi: The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on Friday said that the Tablighi Jamaat's religious congregation in Hazrat Nizamuddin area of Delhi last month is highly condemnable but holding the whole Muslim community responsible for its actions is wrong.

In a letter to PIB Principal Director General K S Dhatwalia, National Commission for Minorities Joint Secretary Daniel E. Richards said that the commission feels that there is an urgent need to present the correct picture in the media.

"It is often seen in media reports that reference is made to the Tablighi Jamaat attendees as being held responsible for the increase in numbers of Covid positive cases," he stated.

"...The commission feels that there is an urgent need to present the correct picture in the media that the members of the Muslim community should not be linked to, and held responsible for the outcome of the actions of the Tablighi Jamaat attendees. Hence, I request you to take necessary steps to ensure that this message is adequately conveyed in the country through all mediums of the media immediately," Daniel E. Richards said.

"While such action by the Jamaat attendees is highly condemnable and merits suitable action by the authorities, it may be appreciated that these persons do not represent the entire Muslim community and holding the whole Muslim community responsible for actions of the Tablighi Jamaat attendees is wrong and uncalled for. The Muslim community members are complying with the lockdown directives as rest of the citizens," the letter stated.

Daniel E. Richards, however, added that the NCM greatly appreciates the action plan announced by the Prime Minister to save the country from this pandemic which has been widely appreciated by the world too.

"In fact, he has also stressed the fact that Covid-19 is a nationwide disaster and can cause harm to any citizen irrespective of caste, creed and religion," he added.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Commission for Minorities on Friday asked the Yogi government to ban the Tablighi Jamaat and penalise its members in accordance with the law.

Last week, the Delhi Minorities Commission in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah said that due to insensitive briefing by government officials and sensational media coverage every “Tablighi person” in the country became a suspect and was hunted down and placed under quarantine amid propaganda that they were hiding and evading.

Prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre to stop the dissemination of "fake news" and take strict action against a section of the media for spreading communal hatred and bigotry.