Triple Whammy for the Muslims: Poverty, Politics and the Pandemic

The effects of the pandemic are felt by people across the globe. However, for marginalized and excluded communities such as Indian Muslims the effect has been devastating on many fronts including personal, economic and political. The community has been poor and backward through the last few decades. Additionally, the community has been denied a fair share in the welfare schemes owing to politics where in the name of secularism not much is needed to be done by the government other than pander to a few conservative religious voices. The political rise of Hindutva has led to normalization of political onslaught and exclusion of Muslims. There have been consistent attempts to communalize the pandemic. While the community reels under lack of awareness and education about the change required to cope with the pandemic, it is imperative that special steps are taken by the state agencies to rope in Muslims in the fight against the pandemic.