By Mohamed Juma Jalloh
It is interesting to observe the collision course that religion and government took during the Covid-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone. As a secular state, the government that represents the people has the power to call the shots when it comes to decision making during pandemics.
The citizens can proudly say they are Muslims or Christians but the ultimate power rest with the government to regulate the affairs and activities of its inhabitants during pandemics. Religion, it is said, plays the role of solidifying relationship between the individual and his Creator. Therefore, religion deals with things worldly and the hereafter, whereas the affairs of the state could be regarded as something transient and completely atheistic. Governance, on the other hand, touches every aspect of the individual’s life, including the economic and social, during pandemics; it has the onus of protecting its citizens from the ravaging scourge. So, government can put together a legion of medical experts to advice on safety and restrictive measures to minimize the spread of the disease.
Sierra Leone recorded her first Covid-19 case on March 31st, 2020, the aftermath of which was the imposition of series of restrictive measures that touch on the religious sphere of citizens. Mosques and churches were ordered to shut down for fear of an easy community transmission among congregants. Even though Covid-19 caused less havoc than the Ebola outbreak, religious leaders are of the acknowledgement that religious houses were never shut down during the Ebola pandemic. Why the panicky move of shutting down spiritual houses by government?
The present measures could have been instituted inter earlier than the imposition of a blanket ban. Many people questioned the rationale of government if only social distancing was the objective. The pedestrian and overcrowded way of life of many socio-economic activities and setting in communities defeated the social distancing purpose. During rush hours, people can be seen squeezing bodies against one another to access public transportation.
The open market phenomenon, in places such as Dove Cut and Congo Markets, that is common in Sierra Leone, is counterproductive to the fight against Covid-19. Social distancing is a farce in a place where people troop in large numbers to buy consumer goodies. The purpose of social distancing has been defeated in many aspects, rendering the fight against Covid -19 to falling prey to misconceptions among the vast majority of the population.
About four weeks ago, common sense prevailed on the side of government and its health advisers. The anxiety was over and people had returned to their places of worship albeit with strict adherence to social distancing and the wearing of face masks. So far, it is safe to acclaim that the present measures of hand washing and the compulsory use of face masks are working, as preventive measures.
As the religious restrictions were eased, it was the inevitable arrival of the Eid-UL-Adha for Muslims. This is a religious moment where Muslims converge to pray and thank God for the mercy of Allah and celebrate the sacrifice that was intended to be performed on Ishmael by Prophet Abraham. Muslims are expected to congregate in an open field or inside a mosque to adulate the omnipotent creator in the middle of the last month of the Islamic calendar-Dzul Hijja.
At the Siaka Stevens Stadium, in the west end of Freetown, the largest crowd of Muslims was attracted at the venue from different parts of the city. Even in the midst of COVID-19, the scenes at the stadium were solemn and kaleidoscopic. Some women in different colourful clothing, with their hijabs on their faces, don’t see the need to wear facemasks. The hijab was easily raised up to the nose to resemble a facemask. Elderly people were able to adhere to social distancing measures, because they were seated on individual marts fairly separated from one another. But the children were jumping helter-skelter in and around the stadium.
After the fulfilment of the hajj rituals and the performance of the Eid prayer, Muslims are expected to slaughter a sacrifice, which can take the form of a ship or a cow. The pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in the year 2020, was very restrictive due to the Covid -19 pandemic. A gathering that usually attracts about 2.5 million people around the globe was reduced to a few thousand pilgrims for fear of the contagious spread of Covid-19. After performing the required religious rituals, it is believed that all the sins of the pilgrims are cleansed. Thereafter, Muslims are obligated to slaughter an animal as means of spiritual sacrifice. The slaughter is a replacement of the command from Allah to Prophet Abraham as substitute to save his son Ismael from the sacrifice.
It is permissible for Muslims to cooperate financially where a single individual is constrained in buying the sheep or the cow. Some of the meat can be reserved for the immediate family, whilst some can be distributed to extended relatives. A portion could also be distributed to the poor and needy as a means of sharing some riches with the less privileged in society.
Visits can be exchanged among friends and relatives coupled with gifts of food and drinks. For non-Muslims, the Eid-ul-Adha should not be misconstrued for the Eid-ul-Fitri. The former is celebrated after the performance of the hajj pilgrimage, whilst the latter is celebrated after the end of the arduous month of fasting (Ramadan).
In Sierra Leone, both “Eids” are declared as public holidays even though the dates are movable. The movability of the holidays is aligned to the Muslim calendar that is not fixed but enumerated according to the natural count of days and weeks and months. In Sierra Leone, the EID-Ul-Adha, commonly called Dunkay Sally, is a period to showcase the cultural creativity and richness of the nation.
Were it not for Covid-19, masquerade devils would have paraded the length and breadth of the cities across the country. Followers of such masquerades can be seen adorned in immoral clothing and serenading the streets with foully language.
People can be seen openly drinking cheap and deadly alcohol that normally serves as an inducement to perpetrate violence in the streets. Rival cliques and gangs can be seen engaged in street battles with one another and at the same time use such events as a platform to steal from traders and hawkers. Therefore, Muslim leaders abhor the hijacking of an important religious event to be transformed into a day of lawlessness across the country. For that reason, they have unanimously called for a blanket ban on masquerade activities particularly on Islamic holidays.