Islam and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Between Religious Practice and Health Protection

Abstract

This paper concerns a problem, the global pandemic COVID-19, which has influenced religious practices with respect to health protection across the Muslim world. Rapid transmission of the virus between people has become a serious challenge and a threat to the health protection of many countries. The increase in the incidence of COVID-19 in the Muslim community took place during and after the pilgrimages to Iran's Qom and as a result of the Jamaat Tabligh movement meetings. However, restrictions on religious practices have become a platform for political discussions, especially among Muslim clergy. This paper is an analysis of the religious and political situation in Muslim countries, showing the use of Islam to achieve specific goals by the authorities, even at the price of the health and life of citizens.

Religious Coping and Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Polish Catholics. The Mediating Effect of Coronavirus Anxiety

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The Mediating Effect of Religiousness in the Relationship Between Psychological Resilience and Fear of COVID-19 in Turkey

“…For a person who aims to make sense of everything, religion can become a way to find meaning in life, making it easier for a person to establish a cause-and-effect relationship for challenging events, fulfilling such a person’s need for meaning (Yapıcı, 2020 ). Supporting this idea, some researchers have found that the more strongly one adheres to a religion, the lower that person’s acceptance is of pandemic restrictions (Piwko, 2021 ). According to Alport ( 2006 ), religion answers existential questions by offering people meaning and purpose, thus protecting them from anxiety, doubt, and despair.…”

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“…Nevertheless, doing so during a pandemic can bolster the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the mosque as a place where congregational prayers are performed is one of the places most prone to spreading COVID- 19.…”

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