The mainstream media continues to link Muslims with the coronavirus pandemic furthering its fascist agenda of demonig the community. In its latest onslaught against the community, Hindustan Times has used the picture of Delhi’s Jama Masjid as a representational image in its report on COVID-19 dated June 12.
In the news report titled, ‘Covid-19: What you need to know today‘ the Delhi-based newspaper used an unrelated picture of the mosque to link COVID-19 to the entire community.
#COVID19 | For the first time, recoveries have exceeded active coronavirus cases in India
Here’s what you need to know today
(by @HT_Ed) https://t.co/yoBydUKgcd
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) June 11, 2020
The paper then deleted the image from its website without an apology after being slammed for maliciously spreading anti-Muslim hatred by deliberately associating the disease with the community.
This is unacceptable.
Either change the image or change your name to Hindutva Times.
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.— Syed Anas Razvi (@RazviAnas) June 11, 2020
Time and Again Media is Linking my Religion with Updates News Articles etc related to #COVID__19 .
It would b better if u would terminate your marketing and SM department, if the only Idea they suggest is to put Islamic representative images for Publicity. Sick & Vile!— Atmanirbhar_Nagrik (@NazimItIs) June 11, 2020
Hindustan Times are #COVIDIOT for using Jama Masjid pic, a Muslim identity in Coronavirus news story.
Perhaps they could have also used the image of Tirupati Balaji Temple which was open during the pandemic?
A picture of hospital would be apt!
Take it down with an apology! pic.twitter.com/QzgQHWrqo5
— Muhammad Ali of Tweeter (@ViratAbdul) June 11, 2020
@htTweets Stop Using an Image of a Particular Religious Place (Mosque) to showcase a News Related to Health Issue (Covid-19). 😤
The level of Bigotry and Hypocrisy some of the Indian Media Houses have shown during this Pandemic is SHAMEFUL and DISGUSTING.
— Shanti (@ShantiWho) June 11, 2020
What’s the correlation between this news article and the pic of the mosque?or is it because of your correlation with bigotry @htTweets ?
— AmmaraFaiz عمارہ (@AmmaraFaiz_sa) June 11, 2020
There is a planned vilifying of particular community
First it’s entire news channels
Then comes @airnewsalerts
Them yesterday @IndianExpress and now this bull shit @htTweets @HT_Ed
Yehi apki ROZI ROTI hai Kya ?@imMAK02 @zoo_bear @Ssaniya25 can we do something— mohammad shabaaz محمد شهباز (@shabaaz0036) June 11, 2020
The linking of the coronavirus pandemic to the Muslim community is not a gaffe on part of the media. The New Indian Express used the image of a Muslim man praying in a mosque to represent a story on COVID-19.
Two days ago, the country’s national public radio broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR) was called out for its blatant display of Islamophobia and false and malicious reporting after it tweeted a report on new COVID-19 cases in Jharkhand along with a picture of a mosque with skull cap wearing Muslims. The tweet, which is now deleted said ‘105 new patients detected in #Jharkhand, cases reach 1135,’ and accompanied a picture of a mosque, with no connection to either the coronavirus or the state of Jharkhand.
In March, at the height of nationwide lockdown, The Hindu newspaper had published a disturbing cartoon, showing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) dressed in Muslim attire and terrorising the world. It was called out for equating the deadly virus with caricatures of Muslims and normalising anti-Muslim hatred in the country. The paper later deleted the cartoon after tendering an apology.
Ever since Delhi’s Markaz Nizamuddin emerged as a coronavirus containment zone, the mainstream media has often been caught demonizing Muslims by linking the spread of the coronavirus to the whole community.
News channels have malicously termed the coronavirus pandemic as ‘Corona Jihad’, ‘Terrorist Virus’, insinuating a Muslim-led conspiracy behind its spread leading to attack against the community across the country.
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