Ata-Ul-Haye Nasir, Al Hakam
While the world is in distress and fear during the tragic Covid-19 pandemic, many countries’ excellent management capabilities have emerged. However, at the same time, the administrative flaws of many countries are also visible now.
The coronavirus has also exposed positive and negative aspects of societies in many countries. For instance, in Pakistan, the lack of religious tolerance is evident once again. For example, Sunni Muslim scholars have been found telling their followers not to take any sort of aid from Muslims who are Shiite, while Shiite scholars have also expressed the same views to their followers.
This same game of hate and false propaganda has also been spread against Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. So-called scholars in Pakistan have told their adherents, not to accept any aid from the prime minister’s relief fund, as Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya has also contributed in it. They have even said to reject any products which belong to Ahmadi manufacturers. On the contrary, Ahmadis are helping people in need, out of pure humanity and service, as the Holy Quran teaches.
Religious extremism has also emerged in India, as Hindu extremists and the Indian media is constantly spreading false propaganda that Muslims have deliberately spread the coronavirus in India. This propaganda is constantly intensifying and there is great danger that it can result into a major catastrophe between Muslims and Hindus.
However, when we look at Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, it appears that at every step, under the blessed leadership of Hazrat Amirul Momineen, may Allah be his Helper, Ahmadi Muslims are offering great service to humanity around the world and serving without discrimination of colour, race or religion. This service is being offered not only at an individual level, but also through the organisation of Humanity First International.
The pandemic, in the United Kingdom, has revealed the lack of justice the NHS has received over the years by the government. Despite the lack of attention given to health workers, members of the NHS have proved to be the most crucial individuals during this pandemic; working tirelessly to save lives, while putting their own in danger.
The unfair and undue distribution of national budgets has come to surface for many other countries; priorities are clearly not right. While many countries have allocated excessive budgets to the defence sector, there is no special spending on health and education. It is true that the defence sector of a country must be allocated with a certain amount of money, but if the unnecessary portion of its budget was spent on the preparation of ventilators, the outbreak could have been dealt with more effectively and less deaths would have been witnessed.
All of these things will surely make the world think that it is inevitable to change our priorities. The health and education sectors need the most attention. Let’s hope that governments across the world overcome their shortcomings and make their policies truly public friendly.