How are people of faith in Southeast Asia responding to the Covid pandemic?
Some Muslim commentators in Southeast Asia emphasise Allah’s overarching sovereignty as the underlying cause of Covid. Ustadz Haerul Akmal of the Islamic University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia, commented that ‘Allah … wants to test his servants, which of them remains upright in carrying out all God’s commands and upright in avoiding all heinous deeds.’
In Malaysia, Islamist politician Abdul Hadi Awang declares Covid-19 to be ‘a test from God and only Allah can overcome the battle against the disease … whatever is happening is the will of Allah and no power can challenge his will.’
However, in Singapore Muslim spokespeople have been more cautious in explaining the causes of the pandemic. A Muslim religious teacher, who posted a statement on Facebook suggesting that Covid was retribution by Allah against the Chinese for oppressing Muslim Uighurs, was investigated by both the government Ministry of Home Affairs and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.
A common response from Muslim leaders is to encourage increased prayer. Grand Imam of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, commented that ‘apart from heeding health protocols, for us religious people, Muslims, we should maximize our worship. Let’s also always pray … Truly Allah loves those who put their trust in him.’
Some groupings of Islamic religious scholars issued fatwas (legal opinions) affirming the acceptability of anti-Covid vaccines according to Islamic Law.
Christian responses
Some Christians questioned whether worship at home rather than in a church was Biblical. The Indonesian Christian theological journal Visio Dei addressed this by exploring the concept of worship in the Bible, affirming home worship by arguing that the meaning of true worship is human life itself devoted to God (Rom. 12: 1-2).
In terms of practical responses, the Indonesian Communion of Churches established the Churches Fight Against Corona response, providing aid and medical care across Indonesia. The Bible Society of Singapore collected practical and Scriptural resources relating to the Covid-19 virus, including importing surgical masks, importing hand sanitisers, technical guidelines on live-streaming, and producing encouragement cards and tracts.
Prayer was a common response among Southeast Asian Christians as also among Muslims. This took the form of special events, such as a night of prayer for health workers held in the Malaysian city of Kota Kinabalu at a cathedral and online, attracting more than 10,000 views.
In the Philippines, the only Christian-majority nation in Southeast Asia, priests anointed the sick and dying via video-conferencing calls with the help of nurses clad in full-body personal protective equipment. The Philippine government, aware of increasing suicides among Filipinos, asked religious leaders in August 2020 to help spread the ‘message of hope to our suffering countrymen … to stave off more incidents of self-destruction.’
