Re-Opening of Mosques in Pakistan and how Pakistan is Different from Saudi Arabia

Pakistan government allowed re-opening of Mosques with the condition that the mentioned 20 points instructions will be followed. There is a debate whether the decision is right or it could lead to disaster. Some people are firm that in Pakistan, it is the religious people responsible for the spread of Coronavirus hence sparking a hateful debate.

I won’t fuel this hate or the blame game. Let’s talk keeping our emotions aside and by looking at the ground realities. I won’t talk about whether the decision is right or wrong; or what is the Islamic ruling on it; but rather I will try to highlight the circumstances that lead to this decision, in a hope that people could stop fueling hate.

We are often given examples of Saudi Arabia because it is the center of Islam and two of the Holiest Islamic cities are in Saudia. The thing is, one cannot compare two countries; or even two cities within a country; or even two towns within a city; or even two houses within a town; or even two people within a house. We all are different; we think differently; we behave differently and our perspective towards something is totally different from one another. And all these differences are heavily influenced by the society, our resources, environment and financial stability. Same vegetables grown in different parts of the world have different shapes and taste.

The government system in Arab countries is totally different than Pakistan. The Arab countries are run by Royals and whatever rule or law is declared, it has to be followed – come what may. It doesn’t matter if a law is right or wrong, it has to be followed. No one can speak against it, no one can protest, no one can raise their voices. Everything is controlled by the royals. Be it Islamic laws or social laws, everything is dictated and implemented forcefully. It’s not just about Mosques, you cannot even think of staging a gathering on 8^th of March with the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’.

Even the Islamic rulings have influence from the Royals. Think about it; is the life of royals as per Islamic teachings? Does Islam allow living such a lavish lifestyle? General public is preached about simplicity and how one should not waste resources but on the other hand, royals spend fortune for their own comfort and desires. Has any Mufti or Scholar from Arab countries ever spoken or issued any ruling against their own royals? Never, because it’s totally prohibited.

I am not totally against this system of government; it has its own Pros and Cons. There are indeed many benefits of having a government that is in control.

It’s not like every person in Arab countries is in the favor of closure of Mosques but they can’t share their disagreement publicly. And the disagreement is justified. Again, I am not talking about whether they are right or wrong but trying to explain their perspective on this whole issue.

It’s a fact that the whole world cannot abide by the safety precautions; some by choice and many do not have a choice. Any place with more population and less resources will not be able to abide by these precautions. It’s easy to follow these protocols in places where population is less and resources are in abundance.

Most of these people who are against the closure of Mosques are under privileged or middle class. There are two reasons for that. Firstly, their emotional attachment with religion is much more than the privileged class (mostly). And this attachment is not necessarily because they are more pious but rather due to the fact that these people lack resources and they have no one to rely on so they always turn towards Allah. Unfortunately, it’s a human nature that most of our relationships are based on selfishness; we maintain contact as far as the other person is of some benefit. Same is with our relationship with Allah; we keep remembering Him as far as our needs aren’t fulfilled; once we get what we want, we break the contact. These are the same people who rely on DUM DURUD simply because they can’t spend fortune on healthcare as it’s not affordable to them. And then – unfortunately – these people are exploited by fake scholars and Peer Faqeers for their own benefits.

The second reason for the disagreement is that these people can’t afford to follow the precautions in their life at all. And I am not only talking about Pakistan; even the underprivileged class in rich Arab countries live in similar, or even worse conditions. Tell me, how you could satisfy these people on closing Mosques with the justification of social distancing when the concept of social distancing doesn’t apply on their lifestyle for even 10%. Most of these people still go to work in the same cramped up places; the places from where they buy their essentials are cramped up; ration or donation distribution is done with no precautions simply because it’s not possible. And again, I am not just talking about Pakistan, inbox me and I will send you pictures and videos from rich Arab countries where people are lined up to get essentials and in some places, it’s a total chaotic situation outside stores.

Even the homes where these people live are cramped. I know places in Arab countries where not only bachelors but even families are living in such compounds where one bathroom is available for at least 10 strangers; and in some places, it’s even worse.

Compare a place like Bahria Town with some inner town of Lahore. People can even go out for walks in Bahria maintaining social distance while in inner town - even if five people come out on street for essential work- it looks like a group due to lack of space and narrow streets. A person like me can understand the importance of closing Mosques when I am privileged enough to follow the same outside Mosque but a person who is living a cramped up life will never understand it.

And beside their own living conditions, when they look around and see many non-essential activities being run without safety precautions, it fuels their emotions. For example media; do news channels fall under the category of essential services? There are hundreds of news channels in Pakistan alone and none is closed during the pandemic. Their reporters roam around freely; is it a news channel’s duty to send their people to inquire if the people are following lockdown or not? When Mosques were closed and only five people were allowed in the mosque, there were dozens of reporters in groups inside the Mosque to report about it. Five people praying maintaining social distance while dozens reporting without any social distance!

First it was reported that if someone sneezes, the virus could reach up to three feet via droplets; then it was reported six feet and recently I heard someone on news saying thirteen feet. First of all, no one is sure and secondly - even if it’s true- then tell me one place in the world where this 13 feet rule is being followed. Are banks, offices, shops, media channels are maintaining this 13 feet rule? Or even 6 feet rule? Even the government officials around the world are not adhering to these precautions. Mostly none is seen wearing a mask or maintaining social distance during their meetings or media briefings or even outside. Some argue that it is because those people have always access to best healthcare and ventilators; true argument but who will take risk to deliberately be vulnerable to a disease just because he has access to the healthcare system?

Even our own Prime Minister has never worn a mask or maintained such social distance. In Punjab, the Governor and Chief Minister are touring the province on daily basis for different purposes with proper protocol and huge number of people walking shoulder to shoulder. The governor at least wears a mask, CM doesn’t even that.

So, ask yourself; in fact, place yourself in such people’s shoes and look around with their perspective. Again, I am not jumping on any conclusion whether the decision is right or wrong; it’s just that the perspective of the people who demand Mosques to be open is justified under their lenses.