"Aaj kal Musalman bachho ka dhyan kuch zyada hi science aur technology pe aa gaya hain…"

I was born into a family that had Muslim names but by beliefs and actions, we were indifferent and irreligious. However, because of our names, right-wing Hindus ensured we were eventually pushed to a Muslim ghetto in Ahmedabad.

Sometimes, a bunch of men would come home. As a child, I would for some reason feel intimidated and uncomfortable, I was told they are from the Tablighi Jamaat.

After I grew up a bit and it was just my mother and me, these folks started coming home regularly. They knew that I had hardly ever prayed at a mosque or fasted during Ramzan, they knew I displayed no obvious signs of being religious but they kept coming. Perhaps they came exactly because I wasn't religious. You see, the Tablighi Jamaat has tasked themselves with propagating Islam amongst Muslims, asking them to become more religious and so on.

Because of their generally patronizing demeanour and the fact that 5-6 men you have never met are entering your home when you're 18 years old and home-alone, I'd be very conscious and uncomfortable in their presence. So if I'd just returned from my Basketball coaching and was clad in Basketball attire, I would first run to put on a T-shirt and track-pant and then open the door. I would largely nod and pretend to agree with everything they said.

One time when they came, as I glanced through the peephole, I felt that familiar feeling of discomfort creeping up within. I rushed to put on my pant and then opened the door. This time, they were surprisingly led by one of the richest men in our neighbourhood. As they went about their usual propagation, I remember one line in particular that he said: "Aaj kal Musalman bachho ka dhyan kuch zyada hi science aur technology pe aa gaya hain, woh sab toh theek hain par pehle deen (religion) pe dhyan do".

That changed things for me. The next time they came would end up being the last time they ever came to my home. This time, I opened the door in my basketball gear and they were caught off-guard. An 18 year old Muslim, in their neighbourhood, in a basketball jersey and shorts, wasn't a sight they were used to and hence they were on the back-foot from the beginning. “Oh aap basketball khelte ho?", I said "Haan", "Phir toh aap ko zaroor masjid aana chahiye, aap jaiso ki toh sakht zarurat hain hume", finally I found my voice this time round - "Aap ne mujhe aaj tak kabhi masjid mein dekha hain?", I asked. They seemed shocked - "Nahi". I continued "Phir aap kyun baar baar mere ghar aake mujhe bulaate rehte hain?". They left and never returned.

On 13th March 2020, more than 2000 people from the Tablighi Jamaat held an event at Nizamuddin in Delhi. The gathering included foreign nationals from countries like Malaysia, who attended an event with over 16,000 people a month earlier in Malaysia, which led to widespread Corona infections across South Asia. The attendees of the Nizamuddin event have now spread all over India, turning the situation into a nightmare for Indians and authorities, as 130+ infections and 10+ deaths have so far been linked directly to this one event. The Maulana who led the event is absconding. This has become the worst known occurrence so far of a group-gathering in India resulting in COVID infections.

Yes, right-wing Hindus have characteristically begun using this opportunity to demonize Muslims further. However, as an atheist, I can say this, all theists are generally known for irrational decisions. But especially Muslims, perhaps because they are so religious, often end up leading the pack on irrational decisions.