In the city of Tirupati, famous for its Hindu-dominated and prominent temples in Andhra Pradesh, South India, Muslims have started the burial of the dead from Covid. Members of the apolitical, Islam-preaching Tabligh Jamaat men are burying all the dead, irrespective of religion or caste, in the wake of India's extreme Corona pandemic.
According to international media reports, the Muslim Tablighi Jamaat has set a shining example of 'friendly humanity' in the face of horrific catastrophes when relatives are fleeing the country for fear of the virus or there is no suitable manpower to handle hundreds of corpses. Such is the case in Corona-stricken India, where the country's ideology of secularism and tolerance has been raised against the country's violent communal forces.
But last year (2020) at the beginning of the Corona situation, Tabligh faced public-private opposition for its regular organized work of propagating Jamaat-e-Islam. Even the motive-driven ‘criminal’ label was given to the preacher. Cases of treason and murder were filed against them.
Leaving that controversy behind, the Sunni Islamic organization Tabligh Jamaat has jumped into the funeral of the dead from Covida. Instead of lifting the bodies of 10 people in one cheetah, the Muslims followed the religious rites so that every Covid patient could be buried, maintaining the religious rites and respect for the dead body.
Revealed, last April, their volunteers cremated about 15 bodies there daily. And since the very beginning of the pandemic, Tabligh Jamaat has cremated a total of 563 bodies. For this purpose alone, they have formed the Covid-19 Joint Action Committee (JAC) under the Tirupati United Muslim Association.
JMD Gauss, an active member of Tabligh Jamaat, said, "We were blamed for the pandemic last year. And now we are hearing our praise, ”he said, adding that at the moment, 60 of their volunteers are working in three separate teams in Tirupati. He said each of these parties had cremated at least 15 bodies in April.
JMD Gauss further said that the corpses of the elderly used to come more. Now the bodies of young people have to be cremated. They can't find the language to comfort the families. Hindu, Muslim or Christian: According to the religion, the body is being cremated according to the rituals, said the Tabligh Jamaat authorities.
Muslims are arranging their own PPE kits with any help from outside. However, even though they are not Muslims, some young people have joined them in this work in response to the call of humanity.