The majority of the Muslim world has responded appropriately to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic that has affected all of humanity. Governments of leading Muslim countries promptly implemented decisive quarantine measures, as did many Islamic religious leaders and organizations in non-Muslim countries. However, a certain group of Muslims, manifested in social media, have in one way or another joined the so-called coronavirus skeptics in relentlessly exposing the global coronavirus conspiracy and criticizing the measures taken worldwide to combat it as unnecessary and harmful. Interestingly, some of these same people praised the same coronavirus as a punishment from Allah to the Chinese just a month or two ago, considering it completely real, but then abruptly changed their minds when it affected the countries in which they reside.
It should be clearly stated that there are two possible approaches to the coronavirus conspiracy issue. The first approach is to assume that the virus that weakened the entire world system was artificially created and introduced. This is quite possible, since biological weapons exist, so it cannot be ruled out that certain intelligence agencies or other conspiratorial forces have developed and disseminated this virus, thereby achieving the effect we have observed. However, first of all, from a practical point of view, this doesn’t change anything for us, and secondly, we don’t have any definitive evidence to make such statements — maybe they will appear one day, but for now it should be perceived only as one of the possible versions.
The second approach is to consider and assert that the coronavirus conspiracy is not about the introduction and spread of a real virus that has brought countries and economies to the brink of collapse, but about the dissemination of fake news, the manipulation of facts, and the creation of mass hysteria that allows certain secret forces to achieve their goals. According to these people, everyone who participates in the fight against the coronavirus today is either a participant in the conspiracy or an idiot who allows himself to be deceived, and only they, in the midst of mass delusion, maintain common sense and bravely expose the world’s plans behind the scenes.
The fact that the authorities in Muslim countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking decisive action against the coronavirus will only convince these people of their assumptions — after all, the authorities of these countries are considered an integral part of the global system.
It is more difficult with the current authorities of Turkey or Qatar, but it can also be said that, although they allow themselves some dissent, they are part of the global system. Iran, which is facing serious consequences of this problem despite the attempts of certain circles within it to demonstratively ignore it, can also be included in this category of those who listen to the global system and present themselves as fighting against it.
Hamas, which imposes strict quarantine measures in the Gaza Strip, probably falls into the same category.
But what about ISIS, which a few weeks ago issued a fatwa forbidding its followers from traveling to European countries because of the coronavirus? Or what about the fact that this week Al Sahab Foundation, a media platform of Al-Qaeda, released a detailed statement on the coronavirus issue (The Way Forward — A word of Advice on the Coronavirus Pandemic)?
It is understandable to sympathize with the supporters of Iran who consider the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar to be in the same camp as the West, or those who consider Iran and Hamas to be in the same camp as supporters of Al-Qaeda or ISIS. Today, however, the situation is such that all of these opposing forces have taken roughly the same position on the need for action against the coronavirus — unlike our conspiracy exposers, who consider them all either idiots or part of this conspiracy.
Therefore, the main protagonist of these circles has become Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who remains one of the few leaders who believe that the problem of the coronavirus is exaggerated and does not require any special measures. Considering that Muslims should be guided by the Koranic verse, «O you who have believed, if you do not know, ask those who have knowledge,» it turns out that these people consider Alexander Lukashenko to be more knowledgeable than numerous Islamic scholars and political leaders who have joined the fight against the coronavirus. Well, as they say, to each his own.
By the way, regarding the mentioned statement of Al-Qaeda. For understandable reasons we will not translate or publish it here, nor are we supporters of this organization, as our long-time readers know well. But it serves as an example of how irreconcilability with the global system in political matters (the productivity of which is another question) does not necessarily lead to a loss of rationality in other matters. In this statement, the coronavirus is seen as a real problem and a punishment from Allah, including towards Muslims, for their neglect of their duties and resignation to their humiliated position. In this regard, it is stated that many Muslims are now facing what oppressed Muslims, deprived by tyrants of the opportunity to fully practice their religion, have long faced. In addition, the coronavirus is used to call on people in the West to embrace Islam as an illustration of the powerlessness of even the most developed countries before the Creator and Lord of the world, pointing out that Islam is a pro-hygienic religion and its teachings contain measures to combat the epidemics that humanity is now facing.
In general, it must be admitted that even Al-Qaeda and ISIS show much greater rationality on this issue than our «smartest and coolest» like-minded people of Alexander Lukashenko.
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