In the Time of Corona

Taken in Misr Al Qadima - Al Dayoura, 17 September 2019 14:45 by PJI 

Taken in Amman Queen Alia International Airport, 26 September 2019 17:06 by PJI

This writing is a weekly response paper for  the class of Religion and International Affairs, with a theme Religion and Development, yet I changed some parts as a personal note for myself. I put this writing here as a consolation for misuh-misuh and ghibah as I could not understand why some people still be so ignorant regarding to the problem, so this is a reminder for me, how I remember a global pandemic, how I remember what my generation must pass — the fact that how"small" we are...dealing with this virus. Like I said to my fiance couple days ago, how lucky we are, living in the time amid extrimist and terrorist resurgence when 9/11 happens, when right-wing politicians get elected, same-sex marriage is legal in several places, climate change reaches its peak thus triggers the young to the the street, and now, global pandemic. Yes, a global pandemic. We are living through such mad times. Perhaps, like in his favorite quote by Jack Kerouac's On the Road, perhaps, it is the time when we burn like fabulous yellow candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle we are going to see the blue centerlight pop, and I hope, we, all, would go "Aww..."

As we know, religion is acknowledged as a force in world affairs, which has big role in development process. Starting from the question that I posed as a title of this writing: “What is the role of religion in development?” As in the discussion that have taken place during this class, Iranian Revolution in 1979 designated us to rethink again the relation of religion and development, as religion shall not regard separately from public space. For instance, as stated in Marshall and van Saanen (2007), a project called Faiths in Development initiated by Department for International Development (DFID), later on, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a Knowledge Forum on Religion and Development Policy and invited European donor institutions and non-governmental organizations to explore furthermore the role religion in the development process. This shows how religion, however we deny its importance, might be a catalyst for policymakers to bring change within society.

To begin, I would pose a question in accordance to the role of religion in development particularly in the time of global pandemic? What roles do global-religious-civil-society can partake? It directs us to reflect on what we are able to do to empower every level of society to development efforts that follows by religious ideas? In the midst of a pandemic, the issue of religion and development becomes pertinent. Although, at some extent, it begins to be very anxiety-ridden when mass quarantine, high fatality of health workers, low awareness of the pandemic itself, unpreparedness of health and religious institution in facing of the socio-economic impact happening in less than a month. This can be seen on how high the mortality, high demands on masks, alcohols, and hand sanitizers in Indonesia due to slow retrieval by the government.

What disappoints me the most is the news on the COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit; firstly, in regard to the priority of the government to test House of Representatives and their family instead of the suspects, ODP, PDP or health workers who is working right now which creates chaos and lack of hope in society; secondly, due the increased panic, aroused demand to the Rapid Test Kit, thus the kit started to be sold in the black market whereas it evokes some groups take benefits from stocking pile and creates multiplier effects, for instance scarcity and limited access to the poor (even to the health workers) wherewith health equipment is a necessity to be fulfilled as it happens to the rising price for several health goods. Thereupon, I have been noticing messages that has been spreading in my WhatsApp group, for instance, always, never not, carry the name of religion amid the pandemic to justify whatever this kind of behavior. The most worrisome, the number will likely hit 70.000 infected people if they travel to their hometowns as Ramadan and Idul Fitri is in the offing.

With all news on media, it got me thinking, why nothing good comes out of it? Why religion becomes something ugly that baptizes the virus of ignorance? That requires a long list of possibilites just to find out why. If we google things about the virus and the role of religion in Indonesia, we will find the news that put religion as a scapegoat which actually aggravates the gap that I mentioned before. The Covid-19 is in real bad situation whereas the death toll reached 686 cases with 55 deaths in just few-weeks after government stated the country was “virus-free.” One example case is Jemaah Tabligh held Ijtima Ulama Dunia Zona Asia in 19-22 March 2020 in South Sulawesi when state policy clearly stated to physical distancing for two weeks. Worse part came from the statement of a Syekh that said: “We fear only god, not the virus. God handles the virus we shall not panic” while regional police and government already forbid such events. As cited in GEOTIMES, ‘religiously speaking’, he referred to Hadist Sahih in Bukhari and Muslim which stated nothing as contagion in god’s will. Geotimes wrote well about notion of al-bayan that develops in Jakarta and Depok, as well as in South Sulawesi, that worsen the pandemic in those areas. In time.com, Harari wrote the same thing, how the virus becomes pandemic, looking back to what happened in fourteenth century, as Black Death occurred. Harari stated, humanity lacks leadership, in my opinion, what he means actually, we lack religious or spiritual guidance in religious leaders. The fact that they hold great power to command their followers avoiding the virus transmission.

Don't you realize? In the time of global pandemic, it is easy to see what we lack off in society, from the biggest to smallest social scale. All we can do is evaluating working together hand in hand, surviving, and keep journaling – write down everything. It perhaps can be used as evaluation. As what I have been seen, it perhaps happens because of a gap in understanding the concept of development that most of the times associated with ‘secularism’. In fact, religion seems separated in and was coopted by some political movements in order to create ‘certain model of society’ that benefits certain group of people. Consequently, religion was departed from its original meaning and becomes vague. Hence, it leads me to the fact that the expoundation of 'religion' in the secular perspective is somehow separated from 'the root problem in the society', as we repel to think critically what religion, state and society can do to improve our healthcare system? For instance, I am questioning the religious communities,  how they are formed and function within the society in the case of health in Indonesia amid the COVID-19 nowadays? The challenge rises from the people’s religious and spiritual resources in with religion is not present in promoting development in key health policy areas.

For example, in case of Indonesia, wherelies the silver lining, MUI issued a fatwa in March 16, that forbid people to do anything that can worsening virus transmission. According to Azwar and Maliki, MUI took the al-burhan approach in terms of health policy taken in accordance with state policy to alleviate the virus transmission by pointing at al-Dharuriyat al-Khams. Yet, does this answer the question as I posed in the beginning of this writings, how do we keep the faith in the time of Corona that made us questioning about humanity? Religious institutions and religious leaders supposedly give more than moral support, but also critically asses how to minimize the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

To end this writing, I want to point out on what needs to be mainly addressed, it is putting religious institutions as stakeholders in policymaking, By means, ‘all’ religious institutions, not only one over another; as well as integrating religious values as instruments in development policies, mainstreaming healthcare education in religious institutions including to every religious leader. With the fact of low level of ‘civil literacy’ about health policy, targeted groups are religious leaders in local, provincial to national level. This is where the role of religious leaders in local level play a very important part to flatten down the curve of virus spreading. Let’s say, we hope more religious leaders to campaign about physical distancing and pull together with other communities to provide hand soap and disinfectant, and, the most crucial part is giving explanation not to do mudik and excessive buying in the time of Ramadan and Idul Fitri. On the contrary, religious community is recommended to work with NGOs, CSOs, local government, provincial government, even with central government to collectively monitor the needs of their community regarding the basic needs and health needs.

After all of this, perhaps, we really need to prepare ourselves in terms our healthcare system, imboost all FBOS to propagate their religious health assets in face of healthcare system. As I cited from Nordstokke in Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) and Their Distinct Assets, the important thing, the growing recognition of the FBOs in providing healthcare and introducing the term RHAs (religious health assets) to record the distinctive character of faith-based health services. As global pandemic becomes issue in global socio-politic, we can develop FBOs in promoting and running health institutions in every religion existing in Indonesia, not only for one or two religions. If we are having each representation, we would have financial supports that can increase the quality of health services (i.e infrastructure, hospital chaplains, training paramedical, care groups, hospital beds etc, faith healers, traditional healers, etc) in so many places in Indonesia such as local clinic running by certain FBOs. Regarding to ‘financial supports, religious capital should be rights-based and asset-oriented, so we can do ‘needs-based’ approach in a tangible so it can be undertaken as an interplay between religion and context of health, however it needs to be studied further on how to apply RHAs in Indonesia.

PS. We are in this together, light hope for one another, give hands to those who could not even help themselves, and please ask for help if you are really need one, have faith, stay at home, and remind others to do so.