Wednesday is also the anniversary of India’s decision to revoke the special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Muslim-majority state where 7 million people have been living under a brutal military occupation and Internet blackout. The government is imposing another curfew on Wednesday in a region where thousands of young people have already been arbitrarily detained and journalists are facing censorship.
Thus Aug. 5 will become another infamous date for Muslims in India — a day of increased repression in Kashmir, with the added insult of a grand function in the city of Ayodhya, where the Babri mosque’s destruction led to a nationwide attack on Muslims in 1992.
This is not a coincidence.
Over the past few years, I’ve reported extensively on the rise of majoritarianism and Islamophobia in Modi’s India, and it has been exacting on the mind and soul to repeat myself in every column, warning the world of the depravity of the regime and the immorality of a populace that has normalized the naked hatred being disseminated in the country, particularly during a devastating pandemic.
In November, the Supreme Court sent a resounding message to India’s 200 million-strong Muslim population by ruling that the destruction of the 16th-century Babri mosque was a criminal offense while also favoring the building of a temple on the disputed site to placate Hindus.
Now the prime minister is celebrating this erasure just as the novel coronavirus continues to rage across India, which has the third-highest number of cases worldwide. The death toll is increasing by the day (India has suffered about 40,000deaths so far), our migrants are dying of starvation and the home minister has just been admitted to a private facility after testing positive for covid-19.
As a citizen, a journalist and a Muslim, I find it hard not to grow alarmed at the gestures to settle political and religious scores; and every week seems to bring another dystopian development in the ugly slide toward majoritarianism.
On Aug. 1, as Indian Muslims celebrated a somber Eid al-Adha, a video went viral showing a Hindu mob beating a young Muslim man accused of carrying cow meat in his vehicle. The man bled profusely while the mob asked him to chant “Jai Shri Ram” (Glory to Lord Ram). It was yet another attack against Muslims involving beef, since cows are considered sacred to the country’s Hindu-majority population.
But India’s leaders want to change the conversation from the treatment of Muslims. In the midst of the pandemic and when floods have ravaged northeast India and displaced thousands, Indian and international media are parked in Ayodhya to witness the grand celebration. On Wednesday, Modi, surrounded by chants and nationalist luminaries including Mohan Bhagwat, head of the Hindu supremacist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, will place a 22.6-kilogram brick made of silver to cement his promise of dismantling the fundamentals of a secular, democratic republic.
The inauguration of the Ram temple is meant to allay the Indian middle class and the poor who have borne the brunt of the lockdown and suffered a lot from the economic impact. Modi has used Hindu-Muslim polarization as a potent tool to channel the anger of India’s middle class. The choice of Aug. 5 is yet another reminder of Hindu supremacy in India, symbolic of the transformation of India into a Hindu state.
Then there’s the spectacle planned for Times Square, a reminder that many remain complicit in enabling a fascist regime in India that is turning Muslims into second-class citizens in the world’s largest democracy.
As people continue to protest in support of Black Lives Matter in New York and other cities, giant screens will be endorsing sectarian division and violence.
On Dec. 6, 1992, when Hindu nationalists demolished the Babri Masjid and innocent people were butchered, a generation of Indian Muslims, including myself, was scarred for life. We were witnesses to a communalism that would fester deep in the Indian psyche. As I wrote this, a journalist from NPR called me to ask what the word “Ayodhya” meant to me. The answer: What happened was an attempt to erase my identity and that of a population that chose India as its motherland in 1947 during the partition of the country.
Aug. 5 marks another day in the continuing erasure of India’s syncretic culture, another day of blood and soil in India, with a Modi emboldened by the world’s inaction.
Written By Rana Ayyub Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist and author of “Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5th, 2019, it has been a long regime of deceit and deception marked by extremely devious and sinister plans being pushed in Kashmir, mostly by stealth and insinuation. All these plans and policies are aimed at the disempowerment and complete immiseration of the local population which is sought to be subjugated and to be brought to its knees.
The long reign of brutal repression that has followed the monumental betrayal on August 5th has manifested itself in many ways, ranging from the complete cessation of business activity, including especially the tourist industry and the Kashmir handicrafts, the colossal loss of one full academic year of the students of all levels and the irreparable loss of revenue in the horticulture and agriculture sectors. ‘The icing on the(ir) cake’, as it were, has been the hundreds of killings of young Kashmiris by the Indian security forces, some of them in fake encounters, and the others during the so-called cordon and search operations.
The young people who are taken on and eliminated in such operations are hardly in a position to pose a serious threat to the authority of the state. The mere fact that they nurse certain grievances – and genuine ones at that – and that they merely wish the Indian state to address those issues is certainly no reason for the state to take a maximalist position while dealing with these ‘angry’ young men, a position which is invariably in the shape of bringing maximum force to bear upon them and eliminating them in one fell swoop. In such a situation, a much needed recourse to a dialogue between all the contending parties would have saved not only the precious human lives on both sides of the fence, but would have also saved the vast resources being frittered away in the pursuit of a goal that is otherwise unachievable.
What has been said above is only the tip of the iceberg, involving what has been on display in Kashmir since Aug.5th, 2020. Apart from its impact at several levels on the domestic front which is going to be discussed below, an unintended but an inevitable fallout of the Aug 5th political putsch has been the Chinese ingress into Ladakh, a development that has added a new dimension to the Kashmir conflict by highlighting it as a trilateral issue between India, Pakistan and now China. In the lines that follow, an attempt has been made to provide a bird’s eye view of the many more of such mischievous and dangerous machinations whose redundancy on one hand and baneful effects on the other, are going to be felt and experienced over a long period of time to come:
Censorship and mass arrests
In the run up to Aug 5th, 2019, the total censorship on media was accompanied by mass arrests of thousands of Kashmiris who were picked up and sent to jails both in Jammu and Kashmir and other states, where many of them continue to remain incarcerated even one year since they were arrested. Though no reasons were given for their incarceration, it soon came to light that some of them happened to possess the otherwise good qualities of rallying people around for a cause which should instead have won them accolades from the government. The bar president of the J&K high court was surely one of them. It’s amusing to note that in his reaction to the Hurriyat call for boycott of the elections to the state assembly which were scheduled then, he had chosen to take it upon himself to motivate and reach out to the people and exhort them to participate in these elections which they had previously decided to boycott. The spree of arrests, custodial deaths and killings of innocents continues to this day, regardless.
Internet Clampdown
Just a day before the abrogation of article 370, a complete suspension of the high speed 4G internet was accompanied by the withdrawal of all other modes of communication including the cell-phone services from the entire state. While the broadband service was resumed after a couple of months following Aug.5th, the internet service was partially restored in Dec.2019, but only in the low speed 2G mode which has not been revived to the 4G category even after close to one year since it was withdrawn. The impact of this limited access to the internet has been severe on the business activity, but more so on education, with the educational institutions having functioned barely for 100 days since Aug.5th, 2019. Now with the online classes being the only available mode of teaching in the middle of the pandemic, the blocking of the 4G high speed internet has further complicated matters for the students who are made to suffer on account of an inadequate access to online classes.
In the much awaited verdict by the SC on the petition challenging the denial of this fundamental right to the people of Kashmir for the 10th month running, the apex court on May 10th, 2020 had refused to pass a directive for immediate restoration of 4G speed internet service in Jammu and Kashmir which had, instead, chosen to direct the centre to constitute a ‘special committee’ to examine whether 4G internet could be restored in the UT. That’s an appalling error of judgement by the apex court which has, inexplicably, referred the case back to the government as the judge, jury and the executioner, all wrapped in one. Earlier, the A.G. Mr. S. S. Venugopal had told the apex court that “the orders that have been passed had specifically stated that restrictions on internet speed were required for national security”. Such is the hypocrisy, including of those who should have known and interpreted the law better.
New State Domicile Law
Over seven months after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has repealed the 93 year old state subject law which barred non-permanent residents from owning land and immovable property in the erstwhile state and ensured employment protection for permanent residents of the former state. With the approval by the J&K administration of the new domicile law, the process has started of issuing domicile certificates to permanent and those non-permanent residents who have lived in J&K for at least 15 years or worked for the J&K government for ten years or studied in the state at least for seven years and appeared for board examinations here.
Moreover, in an effort to fast track the issuance of domicile certificates to the no-resident Kashmiris, online application facility has been made available for the purpose. In the same vein, it has been stipulated that the tehsildar–in-chargeshall face a fine of up to Rs. 50,000/- if he/she fails to issue the certificate within 15 days of receiving the application. The first to get the domicile certificate was Navin Kumar Choudhary, a senior J&K cadre IAS officer from Bihar for having served here over a period of ten years. It’s no brainer to assert that all this has been designed and contemplated to engineer a demographic imbalance in the erstwhile state.
Control of Buildings Operations Act
On 17th of July, 2020, the J&K administration approved an amendment to the Control of Building Operations Act, 1988 and the J&K Development Act, 1970 to allow notifying any areas in J&K as “strategic areas” where the Indian armed forces can carry out unhindered constructions and other related activities in terms of the requirement of the armed forces through a special dispensation. It envisages that in addition to the land on which existing camps/cantonments of the Indian armed forces located in various areas are notified as ‘strategic areas’, similar areas could be identified elsewhere in the valley for the construction of new camps/cantonments which would be permanent as opposed to many camps which are currently based in private properties like orchards, houses, state government properties and which are thus temporary in nature. The amendment would also facilitate the construction of residential blocks for the troops and their families. The high point of this exercise is that an entire area could be designated as a ‘strategic area’ which could be taken over and developed for the use of armed forces and their families.
New Housing Policy
Of a piece with this gigantic sleight of hand, the J&K administration has also accorded sanction to the proposal of “Housing and Urban Development Department” for adoption and notification of “J&K Housing, Affordable Housing, Slum Redevelopment and Rehabilitation and Township Policy, 2020”. This new policy seeks to come up with models of housing involving slum redevelopment and integrated township. There will also be a scheme for rental housing “in which EWS (Economically weaker sections) of families from other states will be provided dwelling units on license basis for occupation and use for a particular period on making initial deposit and monthly charges”.
Why the Influx of Non-Locals during Pandemic?
Free Press Kashmir (FPK) reported on July 22, 2020 that 113 out of 14,937 non-locals who were brought into the valley in buses last week were found to be COVID positive. The Administration subsequently claimed that they would test the migrant workers for the virus. According to a spokesperson for the administration, “The scheme (to bring in migrant labour) has been notified keeping in view the large workforce of brick kilns. There are no brick kilns operating in District Srinagar; however labour for construction activities and infrastructure projects has been reported to be arriving in some cases.”
The same report stated that “a local news agency, KNT reported that locals in Arizal area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district were up in arms against the district administration for admitting over 30 COVID infected non-local labourers at a government school in the area. The locals demanded immediate shifting of these labourers from the area. ‘The school building is surrounded by the village population and there are chances that infection may spread in the area and we may get infected too,’ locals told KNT.”
At a time when the Administration is telling locals of the Kashmir Valley to keep indoors to avoid spreading the virus, why are thousands of non-locals being brought in from other states, without due precautions, in a manner that is bound to spread the pandemic? According to a July 20 report in the FPK, “The administration has said that it is trying its best to keep the local populace off the roads to contain the spread of the Coronavirus disease. As concerned as the administration might sound in its public advisories, on the contrary, there has been an enhanced influx of non-locals into, and across, Kashmirin recent weeks.
A wave of apprehension and suspicion was triggered yesterday after social media were flooded with eye witnesses sharing information about buses loaded with non-locals being ferried on different routes. Earlier on Sunday, a video of a bus packed with non-locals surfaced on social media. In the video, a man is heard questioning the non-locals about COVID tests, to which the answer was either non-committal or in the negative. “Women and children can also be seen in the buses.” The video was shared on the Twitter handle @haziq_qadriwith the caption “See how non-local labourers are let inside #Kashmir without the mandatory COVID test. On the other hand, small scale shopkeepers are being thrashed by local police for opening their shops.”
The July 20th story in FPK adds this intriguing report: “On July 17, a local Kashmiri, Fayaz Peer, who identifies himself as a travel blogger shared that while flying back to Kashmir and finding himself surrounded by the non-Kashmiris, he asked his co-passengers why were they heading to Kashmir amidst the pandemic. The funny reply that they were coming here to pursue a computer course was shared on the Twitter handle @FayazPeer.
The claim that students are coming to Kashmir for computer courses is laughable, and plainly ludicrous, given that no institute of education, whether private or public, has been allowed to open in Kashmir ever since the first lockdown was announced way back in the third week of March. Still funnier is the ‘plea’ of pursuing a computer course in a place which does not boast of the internet service beyond the 2G speed, and that too in fits and starts.
Apart from workers and students, there is also a visibly large number of non-local persons seen everywhere in the valley begging for alms. How have they been able to enter the Valley without any testing for Covid-19, is a question that baffles one and all? Could they have entered the Valley without the Administration facilitating their entry? If the Administration is enabling a large influx of non-locals into the Valley, is it a case of criminal negligence during the pandemic? Or is there a method in the seeming madness?
As the FPK report of July 20, 2020 observes, “Many in Kashmir say that the influx, in the backdrop of changing laws regarding land ownership and citizenship, have fanned the fears of a demographic change.” The upshot of this development is that in the event of such a devious strategy actually coming about, that would be a ‘befitting’ climax of a thoroughly destructive gameplan that was set in motion on Aug.5th, 2019, but that would only cause a massive devastation all around and engender a million more mutinies that would be impossible to contain, sadly to the detriment of the country.
This article was first published in magazine “Liberation”, Vol.26(4), August, 2020 written by Prof. Mohd Amin Sofi Sahib (CUK)
Following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5th, 2019, it has been a long regime of deceit and deception marked by extremely devious and sinister plans being pushed in Kashmir, mostly by stealth and insinuation. All these plans and policies are aimed at the disempowerment and complete immiseration of the local population which is sought to be subjugated and to be brought to its knees.
The long reign of brutal repression that has followed the monumental betrayal on August 5th has manifested itself in many ways, ranging from the complete cessation of business activity, including especially the tourist industry and the Kashmir handicrafts, the colossal loss of one full academic year of the students of all levels and the irreparable loss of revenue in the horticulture and agriculture sectors. ‘The icing on the(ir) cake’, as it were, has been the hundreds of killings of young Kashmiris by the Indian security forces, some of them in fake encounters, and the others during the so-called cordon and search operations.
The young people who are taken on and eliminated in such operations are hardly in a position to pose a serious threat to the authority of the state. The mere fact that they nurse certain grievances – and genuine ones at that – and that they merely wish the Indian state to address those issues is certainly no reason for the state to take a maximalist position while dealing with these ‘angry’ young men, a position which is invariably in the shape of bringing maximum force to bear upon them and eliminating them in one fell swoop. In such a situation, a much needed recourse to a dialogue between all the contending parties would have saved not only the precious human lives on both sides of the fence, but would have also saved the vast resources being frittered away in the pursuit of a goal that is otherwise unachievable.
What has been said above is only the tip of the iceberg, involving what has been on display in Kashmir since Aug.5th, 2020. Apart from its impact at several levels on the domestic front which is going to be discussed below, an unintended but an inevitable fallout of the Aug 5th political putsch has been the Chinese ingress into Ladakh, a development that has added a new dimension to the Kashmir conflict by highlighting it as a trilateral issue between India, Pakistan and now China. In the lines that follow, an attempt has been made to provide a bird’s eye view of the many more of such mischievous and dangerous machinations whose redundancy on one hand and baneful effects on the other, are going to be felt and experienced over a long period of time to come:
Censorship and mass arrests
In the run up to Aug 5th, 2019, the total censorship on media was accompanied by mass arrests of thousands of Kashmiris who were picked up and sent to jails both in Jammu and Kashmir and other states, where many of them continue to remain incarcerated even one year since they were arrested. Though no reasons were given for their incarceration, it soon came to light that some of them happened to possess the otherwise good qualities of rallying people around for a cause which should instead have won them accolades from the government. The bar president of the J&K high court was surely one of them. It’s amusing to note that in his reaction to the Hurriyat call for boycott of the elections to the state assembly which were scheduled then, he had chosen to take it upon himself to motivate and reach out to the people and exhort them to participate in these elections which they had previously decided to boycott. The spree of arrests, custodial deaths and killings of innocents continues to this day, regardless.
Internet Clampdown
Just a day before the abrogation of article 370, a complete suspension of the high speed 4G internet was accompanied by the withdrawal of all other modes of communication including the cell-phone services from the entire state. While the broadband service was resumed after a couple of months following Aug.5th, the internet service was partially restored in Dec.2019, but only in the low speed 2G mode which has not been revived to the 4G category even after close to one year since it was withdrawn. The impact of this limited access to the internet has been severe on the business activity, but more so on education, with the educational institutions having functioned barely for 100 days since Aug.5th, 2019. Now with the online classes being the only available mode of teaching in the middle of the pandemic, the blocking of the 4G high speed internet has further complicated matters for the students who are made to suffer on account of an inadequate access to online classes.
In the much awaited verdict by the SC on the petition challenging the denial of this fundamental right to the people of Kashmir for the 10th month running, the apex court on May 10th, 2020 had refused to pass a directive for immediate restoration of 4G speed internet service in Jammu and Kashmir which had, instead, chosen to direct the centre to constitute a ‘special committee’ to examine whether 4G internet could be restored in the UT. That’s an appalling error of judgement by the apex court which has, inexplicably, referred the case back to the government as the judge, jury and the executioner, all wrapped in one. Earlier, the A.G. Mr. S. S. Venugopal had told the apex court that “the orders that have been passed had specifically stated that restrictions on internet speed were required for national security”. Such is the hypocrisy, including of those who should have known and interpreted the law better.
New State Domicile Law
Over seven months after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has repealed the 93 year old state subject law which barred non-permanent residents from owning land and immovable property in the erstwhile state and ensured employment protection for permanent residents of the former state. With the approval by the J&K administration of the new domicile law, the process has started of issuing domicile certificates to permanent and those non-permanent residents who have lived in J&K for at least 15 years or worked for the J&K government for ten years or studied in the state at least for seven years and appeared for board examinations here.
Moreover, in an effort to fast track the issuance of domicile certificates to the no-resident Kashmiris, online application facility has been made available for the purpose. In the same vein, it has been stipulated that the tehsildar–in-chargeshall face a fine of up to Rs. 50,000/- if he/she fails to issue the certificate within 15 days of receiving the application. The first to get the domicile certificate was Navin Kumar Choudhary, a senior J&K cadre IAS officer from Bihar for having served here over a period of ten years. It’s no brainer to assert that all this has been designed and contemplated to engineer a demographic imbalance in the erstwhile state.
Control of Buildings Operations Act
On 17th of July, 2020, the J&K administration approved an amendment to the Control of Building Operations Act, 1988 and the J&K Development Act, 1970 to allow notifying any areas in J&K as “strategic areas” where the Indian armed forces can carry out unhindered constructions and other related activities in terms of the requirement of the armed forces through a special dispensation. It envisages that in addition to the land on which existing camps/cantonments of the Indian armed forces located in various areas are notified as ‘strategic areas’, similar areas could be identified elsewhere in the valley for the construction of new camps/cantonments which would be permanent as opposed to many camps which are currently based in private properties like orchards, houses, state government properties and which are thus temporary in nature. The amendment would also facilitate the construction of residential blocks for the troops and their families. The high point of this exercise is that an entire area could be designated as a ‘strategic area’ which could be taken over and developed for the use of armed forces and their families.
New Housing Policy
Of a piece with this gigantic sleight of hand, the J&K administration has also accorded sanction to the proposal of “Housing and Urban Development Department” for adoption and notification of “J&K Housing, Affordable Housing, Slum Redevelopment and Rehabilitation and Township Policy, 2020”. This new policy seeks to come up with models of housing involving slum redevelopment and integrated township. There will also be a scheme for rental housing “in which EWS (Economically weaker sections) of families from other states will be provided dwelling units on license basis for occupation and use for a particular period on making initial deposit and monthly charges”.
Why the Influx of Non-Locals during Pandemic?
Free Press Kashmir (FPK) reported on July 22, 2020 that 113 out of 14,937 non-locals who were brought into the valley in buses last week were found to be COVID positive. The Administration subsequently claimed that they would test the migrant workers for the virus. According to a spokesperson for the administration, “The scheme (to bring in migrant labour) has been notified keeping in view the large workforce of brick kilns. There are no brick kilns operating in District Srinagar; however labour for construction activities and infrastructure projects has been reported to be arriving in some cases.”
The same report stated that “a local news agency, KNT reported that locals in Arizal area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district were up in arms against the district administration for admitting over 30 COVID infected non-local labourers at a government school in the area. The locals demanded immediate shifting of these labourers from the area. ‘The school building is surrounded by the village population and there are chances that infection may spread in the area and we may get infected too,’ locals told KNT.”
At a time when the Administration is telling locals of the Kashmir Valley to keep indoors to avoid spreading the virus, why are thousands of non-locals being brought in from other states, without due precautions, in a manner that is bound to spread the pandemic? According to a July 20 report in the FPK, “The administration has said that it is trying its best to keep the local populace off the roads to contain the spread of the Coronavirus disease. As concerned as the administration might sound in its public advisories, on the contrary, there has been an enhanced influx of non-locals into, and across, Kashmirin recent weeks.
A wave of apprehension and suspicion was triggered yesterday after social media were flooded with eye witnesses sharing information about buses loaded with non-locals being ferried on different routes. Earlier on Sunday, a video of a bus packed with non-locals surfaced on social media. In the video, a man is heard questioning the non-locals about COVID tests, to which the answer was either non-committal or in the negative. “Women and children can also be seen in the buses.” The video was shared on the Twitter handle @haziq_qadriwith the caption “See how non-local labourers are let inside #Kashmir without the mandatory COVID test. On the other hand, small scale shopkeepers are being thrashed by local police for opening their shops.”
The July 20th story in FPK adds this intriguing report: “On July 17, a local Kashmiri, Fayaz Peer, who identifies himself as a travel blogger shared that while flying back to Kashmir and finding himself surrounded by the non-Kashmiris, he asked his co-passengers why were they heading to Kashmir amidst the pandemic. The funny reply that they were coming here to pursue a computer course was shared on the Twitter handle @FayazPeer.
The claim that students are coming to Kashmir for computer courses is laughable, and plainly ludicrous, given that no institute of education, whether private or public, has been allowed to open in Kashmir ever since the first lockdown was announced way back in the third week of March. Still funnier is the ‘plea’ of pursuing a computer course in a place which does not boast of the internet service beyond the 2G speed, and that too in fits and starts.
Apart from workers and students, there is also a visibly large number of non-local persons seen everywhere in the valley begging for alms. How have they been able to enter the Valley without any testing for Covid-19, is a question that baffles one and all? Could they have entered the Valley without the Administration facilitating their entry? If the Administration is enabling a large influx of non-locals into the Valley, is it a case of criminal negligence during the pandemic? Or is there a method in the seeming madness?
As the FPK report of July 20, 2020 observes, “Many in Kashmir say that the influx, in the backdrop of changing laws regarding land ownership and citizenship, have fanned the fears of a demographic change.” The upshot of this development is that in the event of such a devious strategy actually coming about, that would be a ‘befitting’ climax of a thoroughly destructive gameplan that was set in motion on Aug.5th, 2019, but that would only cause a massive devastation all around and engender a million more mutinies that would be impossible to contain, sadly to the detriment of the country.
This article was first published in magazine “Liberation”, Vol.26(4), August, 2020 written by Mohd Amin Sofi Sahib (CUK)
Turkey’s iconic Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque reopened for worship on Friday for the first time in 86 years with four muezzins from the mosque’s four minarets reciting the adhan, or call to prayer, and people performing their Friday prayers.
Thousands, including many who traveled from across Turkey, gathered near the mosque early Friday for the first prayers in decades while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also arrived at the Hagia Sophia wearing a mask, accompanied by Communications Director Fahrettin Altun as well as the head of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Ali Erbaş.
“Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is a cultural heritage of humanity as a whole. It was a mosque and was reverted back into a mosque,” the president said following the prayers. “Some 350,000 people attended the Friday prayer around Hagia Sophia.”
The president added that the Culture and Tourism Ministry will conduct restoration work inside and outside the mosque. “Together with these works, our Hagia Sophia will hopefully gain a different, more meaningful structure,” he said.
The reopening, which included guests from all segments of society, began with the prayer program prepared by Diyanet. Prior to the inaugural prayers, the president recited verses of the Quran inside the nearly 1,500-year-old monument.
Erbaş led the first Friday prayer with a sword in hand, reading a special khutbah, or sermon, titled “Hagia Sophia: Sign of conquest, our trust in Fati̇h (Sultan Mehmet),” before the collective prayer.
“The longing that caused deep pain in the hearts of our people has come to an end,” Erbaş said, as he added that the monument will be open to people of all backgrounds just as other mosques are.
“Today is the day when takbirs (Allahu akbar), prayers, and salavats (salutation upon the prophet of Islam) resonate in the domes of Hagia Sophia, and the adhan (call for prayer) rises from its minarets,” Erbaş stated. “Today is the day when believers stand up in prayer with tears of joy, bow down in submission and prostrate thankfully. Today is the day of honor and humility.”
Crowds formed at checkpoints surrounding the historic heart of Istanbul, where thousands of police maintained security. On entering the secured area, the worshippers, wearing face masks, sat spaced out on prayer mats in the city’s Sultanahmet Square.
Following the first official prayers, Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli visited the tomb of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Istanbul, while a huge crowd entered the Hagia Sophia.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced close to noon that all the prayer areas around the mosque are occupied and due to the coronavirus epidemic, they will not be accepting new entries to the area.
Later in the day, Yerlikaya also announced that Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque will remain open for worship 24/7 starting today as per President Erdoğan’s directive.
“We are ending our 86 years of longing today,” said one of the devout, Sait Çolak, referring to the nearly nine decades since Hagia Sophia was declared a museum and ceased to be a place of worship. “Thanks to our president and the court decision today we are going to have our Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia.”
The iconic monument served as a church for 916 years until the conquest of Istanbul. It then served as a mosque from 1453 to 1934 – nearly 500 years – and most recently as a museum for 86 years.
One of the most visited historic buildings in Turkey by domestic and international tourists, in 1985, during its time as a museum, Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On July 10, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use again as a mosque after an 86-year hiatus.
In the new era for Hagia Sophia, Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) will oversee religious services at the mosque, while the Culture and Tourism Ministry will supervise restoration and conservation work.
The architectural treasure will also be open to both domestic and foreign tourists free of charge.
Filled with excitement over hosting the reversion of the ancient structure to a mosque, Istanbul has been getting ready for the grand reopening with strict measures in accordance with both social distancing and Islamic rules. As part of the preparations, 17 health-check points with 736 medical personnel actively worked alongside an ambulance unit consisting of 101 vehicles and a helicopter waiting nearby. Visitors’ temperatures were also checked and face masks were mandatory. Some roads were also shut down.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) also took precautions for the big day. Providing 25 shuttles for public transportation to the mosque for free, the municipality also made parking areas in the region free. The municipality also planned to hand out 25,000 bottles of water, masks, disinfectants and disposable prayer rugs.
Erdoğan on Thursday unveiled a green sign with gold lettering in Turkish, Arabic and English in front of the iconic site that states: The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attends Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, for the first time after it was once again declared a mosque after 86 years, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 24, 2020Men wait outside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul to attend the Friday prayer, the first Muslim prayer held at the landmark since it was turned to a mosque, July 24, 2020.
Three imams and five muezzins appointed
On Thursday, Turkey’s top religious authority appointed three imams and five muezzins for Hagia Sophia Mosque, an iconic landmark in Istanbul set to open for prayers on Friday.
Ali Erbaş, the head of Diyanet, said Mehmet Boynukalın, Ferruh Muştuer and Bünyamin Topçuoğlu were appointed as imams of the mosque.
Boynukalın is a professor at the Religious Sciences Department of Marmara University, Erbaş said, noting that they appointed renowned scholars as imams in line with the Ottoman tradition.
Also, both Muştuer and Topçuoğlu have won international Quran recitation competitions.
Inside the Hagia Sophia, the Christian frescoes and glittering mosaics adorning the cavernous dome and central hall were concealed by curtains during Muslim prayer times but will remain on display otherwise.
On Friday morning, the interior echoed with the sound of recitations of the Quran by white-robed clerics sitting on blue carpets freshly laid this week ahead of the prayers.
Senior most Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani today threw a surprise by announcing his resignation from his faction of All Parties Hurriyat Conference. In a statement issued to media, Geelani said that he has taken the decision ‘in view of the present condition’ of the amalgam which, he said, he has explained in his letter to them. The move has stirred a fresh debate around the separatist leadership with many unable to comprehend what actually happened given the many divisions in the separatist leadership. Geelani has resigned from the faction of the APHC which he was heading as Chairman. According to his official political representative, Syed Abdullah Gilani, whom he has named in his letter as well, Geelani ‘continues to be the Patron and Founder of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat with Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai continuning to be its Chairman’.
The translation of his letter.
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuh
May Almighty Allah keep you all safe, including your family and friends. Aameen!
We all believe that we have to appear before Allah for all our deeds and the same sense of responsibility must be the basis of our every word and action. Our movement is very valuable; it includes the selfless service of sincere workers, the spirit of sacrifice of people and the sacred blood of the martyrs. We call for the fidelity to this precious asset of the nation. Loyalty and sincerity to this trust is the guarantee of success and prosperity for us. And, God forbid, betraying and disregarding will be a cause of humiliation and disgrace for us in this world and in the hereafter.
Respected gentlemen! As you all know, the Azad Kashmir branch of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference is just a representative forum. It is not authorized to take any individual or collective decision. For a long time in general and for the last 2 years in particular, a lot of complaints are coming in about this forum. Accessing assemblies and ministries through own families and then actively participating in the governmental structure there, lining up against each other internally, quarrels, financial irregularities and countless such issues have been the subject of public debate. Recently, on the basis of investigations, some of those involved were fired. And investigations into the remaining gentlemen were also underway, but your representatives there, considering this process of investigation as an insult, started calling separate meetings after which orders were issued to dissolve the organizational structure there until further orders. To evade this process of transparency and accountability in the forum, your representatives initiated non-cooperation with the Convener and formally launched a propaganda campaign in which a vicious attempt was made to lose my statements and messages to the nation in a maze of doubts. Even a commission of inquiry was set up on my will regarding my final journey by which their intentions came to light. Not just that, but they, disregarding all moral, constitutional and organizational rules, formed a parallel structure by holding a self-styled Shura (consultation). Instead of reprimanding their representatives for these heinous acts of immorality, indiscipline and non-cooperation, you convened a consultative meeting in Srinagar on your own to ratify this unconstitutional decision. And by attributing this meeting to my instructions, you too have committed a heinous conspiracy and resorted to a blatant lie, because I had not issued any such directive.
Dear gentlemen! Last year, an occupying India merged the occupied state into its federation and made a self-proclaimed announcement to divide the state into two parts so that the bloody story of Palestine can be repeated here. To implement this ugly conspiracy, while holding hostage the whole nation, almost all young and old leaders, activists, lawyers and students were arrested along with thousands of people and taken to prisons outside the state. During that, leadership outside the prisons was expected to take a positional role of guiding this subjugated nation by fighting this naked aggression and encouraging the people despite government restrictions and punishment. Despite historical restrictions and being in detention, I searched for you gentlemen, constantly trying to contact you through messages, but no effort has been successful and you could not be availed despite much search. While presenting a strategy for the future and representing the nation in these circumstances, neither my health nor a decade of detention came in my way. Today, when the sword of accountability hangs over your heads, the heat of accountability began to be felt, the veil of financial irregularities began to slip and there was a fear of losing one’s position, you gathered to hold a so-called consultative meeting, despite the epidemic and government restrictions, and set a unique example of solidarity and unity by supporting and endorsing the unconstitutional decisions of your representatives, and by promoting this drama through you favourite broadcasters, you too involved in this ‘uncouth sin’.
Respected gentlemen! In 2003, you forced me to take over the leadership of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir and then to lead it for life. The performance and irregularities of this forum were often overlooked in the name of ‘larger interest of the movement’. Due to governmental torment and reproach, continuous arrests, economic woes and personal weaknesses, a strict and expected system of accountability has not been established but, today, you have not only violated all the rules and regulations and resorted to indiscipline, but rebelled against the leadership openly and brazenly.
In view of the current situation and after pondering over the whole situation, I announce complete parting away from All Parties Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir. I can’t bear the responsibility for my weaknesses and shortcomings as well as the performance of my colleagues in this forum. All of you gentlemen are free to decide for yourself. Old age, physical weakness and various ailments do not mean the weakening of my soul. Neither the power of my heart and mind has ceased nor has there been any weakness in my spirit of freedom. Until my passing from this mortal world, I will continue to fight against Indian colonialism and will continue to fulfil my right to guide my people as much as I can.
Mr. Syed Abdullah Gilani will continue to represent me in Azad Kashmir and abroad. Insha’Allah
I am grateful to you for helping me in making an important decision in the last days of my life by virtue of your conduct. In case I have made a mistake during our companionship, or some of my words and deeds have offended any of you or your emotions have hurt you, I apologize to you. May Allah be help and support us all.
Syed Ali Geelani
*[ Brother Mudasir Nazir translated the letter into English ]
It was the year of 1960, when two friends and dashing student leaders switched their ideologies
Syed Munawar Hasan, who later became the emir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) — the country’s mainstream religious party — quit the left-wing politics and joined the right-wing.
This came not long after his close friend Nafees Siddiqui — a renowned lawyer and former senator — left Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), the JI’s students wing, and joined National Students Federation (NSF), a group influenced by the socialist ideology.
But their friendship did not take a hit from the swap. Instead, it further strengthened their bonds, according to Prof. Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a former NSF leader and a common friend.
“Munawar Hasan belonged to a rare breed of politicians who could go along with their ideological opponents. It is not the JI that has lost its leader but it is we [all] who have lost a great friend, a lettered personality, and a down-to earth politician,” Tauseef said
Echoing Khan’s views, Senator Taj Haider, another friend and a senior leader of center-left Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), observed that “tolerance” and “courage” were Hasan’s forte.
“I had had a decades-long association with him. At one point, we struggled for the same [socialist] cause, but later, he chose [to follow] the Islamic way of politics. But, it never took him away from me, and other [leftist] friends,” Haider said.
“We have lost a gem. May Allah accept his services he rendered for Islam,” he added.
Hassan pursued a tumultuous political journey that began with the philosophy of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky but ended with that of renowned scholar Maulana Syed Abul A’ala Maududi.
– Profile
Born in August 1941 in the Indian capital Delhi, days before Maududi founded the JI, Hasan migrated to Pakistan together with his parents in 1947 and settled in southern port city of Karachi.
He started his political career as a leader of the NSF in 1957. He got elected the NSF’s Karachi president in 1959. However, he took an ideological turn in 1960 and joined the IJT.
He served IJT in different capacities until he joined the mainstream politics in 1967. First as president of the IJT’s Karachi University unit in 1962, then president Karachi chapter in 1963, and finally central president in 1964. He is one of a few IJT presidents who got elected for the office for three consecutive terms.
Well-known for his eloquence, Hasan earned the reputation of an ace debater in Karachi’s political and literary circles. He possessed two master degrees — first in sociology and later in Islamic studies from the University of Karachi.
After serving the IJT as its central president from 1964 to 1966, Hasan, dearly known as Delhi wala (an inhabitant of Delhi), and “Munoo Bhai”, joined JI in 1967.
His first electoral appearance was in 1977 general elections, when he secured the highest number of votes from a constituency in Karachi. However, those elections were declared null and void by the former military ruler Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who imposed a martial law in the country that lasted for next 11 years.
– Courageous
Hasan was elected the party’s Karachi chief in early 1980s until 1991 when he was appointed as the party’s deputy secretary general. He led the JI in Karachi during testing times.
Once a JI stronghold, Karachi, the country’s commercial capital, after 1985, fell for the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) — a linguistic party, which claimed to represent the Urdu-speaking migrants who moved to Pakistan with the partition of India in 1947 but has been accused of operating like an organized gang through its alleged use of violence and intimidation.
The MQM, which later renamed as Muttahida Qaumi Movement (United National Movement), reportedly targeted the JI workers in particular, who refused to budge in to the MQM’s political domination.
Dozens of JI workers were abducted and killed, while hundreds were tortured during 1985 to 2016 in Karachi. The JI blames MQM for abductions and killings.
“Munawar led the JI during such hard times when others had surrendered. He was such a courageous and brave leader who did not bow to the terrorism unleashed by the MQM against its political opponents,” Senator Haider opined.
Criticizing the MQM’s politics based on “hatred for other communities”, Hasan once proudly identified himself as a “real Muhajir”, who himself “migrated to Pakistan on his feet holding the finger of his father.”
In 1992, Hasan was appointed as the party’s secretary general by then emir Qazi Hussain Ahmed, and moved to northeastern Lahore city, where the party’s headquarters is located.
At one point, Hasan and his wife Ayesha Munawar served as the secretary general of the party’s men and women wings simultaneously.
He tried his luck in electoral politics for some more time but could not make it. He lost the 2002 elections to a MQM candidate from Karachi by a close margin.
Until 2009, Hasan continued to serve as the party’s secretary general — the second important office after the emir.
In 2008, he got elected the party’s fourth emir after Hussain refused to contest for another term due to health issues.
The outspoken Hasan found himself into controversy after his remarks on Pakistan army’s role in “the war on terror.” The remarks not only irked the army but also saw a widespread media campaign against him. Hasan, however, refused to withdraw his remarks.
Hasan is the JI’s only emir, which led the party for only one term contrary to his three predecessors, and a successor. After completing his first and last five-year term, he could not get elected for the second term in 2014.
The party chose then finance minister of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, Siraj-ul-Haq to lead the party. Many see Hasan’s controversial remarks as one of the key reasons behind not being elected for the second term.
However, he still remained a recipient of respect and honor not only from the party activists but the incumbent emir.
Hasan joined the JI’s research academy in Karachi, and engaged himself in literary and research work. But soon, he developed multiple age-related diseases, including Parkinson’s.
A few weeks ago, he was hospitalized in Karachi after his health deteriorated. He remained on life support system for several days and breathed his last on Friday.
Ertugrul Ghazi is a Turkish historical fiction and adventure television series which recently aired on Pakistani television channels. It is considered one of the best series of its kind. In Turkish, the title of the series is Diriliş: Ertuğrul created by Mehmet Bozdağ, starring Engin Altan Düzyatan in the title role. It was filmed in Riva, a village in the Beykoz district of Istanbul, Turkey, and premiered on TRT 1 in Turkey on December 10, 2014. Based on the history of the Muslim Oghuz Turks, the story takes place in the 13th century. The series is essentially about the journey and life of Ertugrul Ghazi who was the father of Osman (Uthman) who founded the Ottoman Empire.
The series Ertugrul Ghazi gained massive popularity soon after it was dubbed in Urdu and was easily understandable by Pakistanis. In fact, many people were already hooked to the series long before it was dubbed in Urdu. The quality of the acting and production values of the series is unmatched. It is surely the kind of series which has you glued to your television screen right from the first episode. The star cast and even the supporting cast plays a pivotal role in making any series or drama a success. The show has been well received, particularly in the Muslim world.
The life of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph of Islamic State, before and after he embraces in Islam.
Omar Series is a historical Arab series co-produced (2012) by MBC1 and Qatar TV and directed by the Syrian director Hatem Ali , the series is based on the life of on one of the best companions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the 2nd Caliph of the Islamic state, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) .
A 30-episode series showcasing the various events during the life of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) from his pre-Islamic days till his assassination. The series depends solely on established historical facts hence didn’t face criticism in terms of its content as past movies on similar subjects did.
The series commences with the 23 year of Hijra at Makkah, where the Muslim pilgrims have come together for the Hajj. In midst of them, we can see Umar Ibn Al Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) supplicating to the Lord while doing the Tawaaf around the Ka’abah. On the return journey to Medinah from Makkah, they pass by a group of people tending to their camels in the desert. Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) reminisces his past days, when he used to tend to his father Al-Khattab’s camels in the desert, and how his father used to work him to exhaustion and beat him up if he slackened.
However, now after his embracing Islam how life has changed for him with no one to stand between him and his Lord. The series then takes you on a historical ride as memories come gushing back to Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) about the various events that happened during his lifetime.
They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
1- Faith 2- Prayer 3- The ‘Zakat’ 4- The Fast 5- Pilgrimage (Hajj).
1- FAITH:
There is no god worthy ofi8 worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger. This declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is la ilaha illa Llah – ‘there is no god except God’; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God – wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa Llah: ‘except God’, the source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu’Llah: ‘Muhammad is the messenger of God.’ A message of guidance has come through a man like ourselves.
2- PRAYER (SALAH):
Salat is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran, chosen by the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Quran, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication can be offered in one’s own language. Because shalat is transliterated from arabic word, so it has multiple english spellings such as salat, salah, sholat, sholah or shalah.Some peoples also called shalat as namaz.
Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.
3- THE ZAKAT:
One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both ‘purification’ and ‘growth’. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.
Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one’s capital.
A pious person may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as ‘voluntary charity’ it has a wider meaning. The Prophet said ‘even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity.’
The Prophet said: ‘Charity is a necessity for every Muslim. ‘ He was asked: ‘What if a person has nothing?’ The Prophet replied: ‘He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.’ The Companions asked: ‘What if he is not able to work?’ The Prophet said: ‘He should help poor and needy persons.’ The Companions further asked ‘What if he cannot do even that?’ The Prophet said ‘He should urge others to do good.’ The Companions said ‘What if he lacks that also?’ The Prophet said ‘He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.’
4- THE FAST:
Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.
Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of self purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth in one’s spiritual life.
5- THE PILGRIMAGE (HAJJ):
The annual pilgrimage to Makkah – the Hajj – is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.
The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the Ka’ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God’s forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.
In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities.
The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.
Limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
What is social distancing?
Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. To practice social or physical distancing:
Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people
Do not gather in groups
Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings
In addition to everyday steps to prevent COVID-19, keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and slowing its spread locally and across the country and world.
When COVID-19 is spreading in your area, everyone should limit close contact with individuals outside your household in indoor and outdoor spaces. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay away from others when possible, even if you have no symptoms. Social distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
Why practice social distancing?
COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs. Recent studies indicate that people who are infected but do not have symptoms likely also play a role in the spread of COVID-19.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. COVID-19 can live for hours or days on a surface, depending on factors such as sun light and humidity. Social distancing helps limit contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces.
Although the risk of severe illness may be different for everyone, anyone can get and spread COVID-19. Everyone has a role to play in slowing the spread and protecting themselves, their family, and their community.
Tips for social distancing
Follow guidance from authorities where you live.
If you need to shop for food or medicine at the grocery store or pharmacy, stay at least 6 feet away from others.
Use mail-order for medications, if possible.
Consider a grocery delivery service.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others, including when you have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store.
Stay at least 6 feet between yourself and others, even when you wear a face covering.
Avoid large and small gatherings in private places and public spaces, such a friend’s house, parks, restaurants, shops, or any other place. This advice applies to people of any age, including teens and younger adults. Children should not have in-person playdates while school is out. To help maintain social connections while social distancing, learn tips to keep children healthy while school’s out.
Work from home when possible.
If possible, avoid using any kind of public transportation, ridesharing, or taxis.
If you are a student or parent, talk to your school about options for digital/distance learning.
Stay connected while staying away. It is very important to stay in touch with friends and family that don’t live in your home. Call, video chat, or stay connected using social media. Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and having to socially distance yourself from someone you love can be difficult. Read tips for stress and coping.
What is the difference between quarantine and isolation?
Quarantine
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Someone in self-quarantine stays separated from others, and they limit movement outside of their home or current place. A person may have been exposed to the virus without knowing it (for example, when traveling or out in the community), or they could have the virus without feeling symptoms. Quarantine helps limit further spread of COVID-19.
Isolation
Isolation is used to separate sick people from healthy people. People who are in isolation should stay home. In the home, anyone sick should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick” bedroom or space and using a different bathroom (if possible).
What should I do if I might have been exposed? If I feel sick? Or have confirmed COVID-19?
Inside The Valley 
