As we Americans wash our hands, sanitize our surroundings, and quarantine ourselves, we remain without enough testing kits for COVID-19. The World Health Organization offered them to the United States. Our government refused to take them. This is a matter of life and death.
In the worst possible case scenario, scientists fear more than a million Americans could die if the nation does not take swift action to stop its spread as quickly as possible.
Scientists would like us to contain COVID-19 through two main methods:
- Social distancing and
- Practicing basic hygiene
These are the only two tools all of us have in our control, along with asking God Almighty for His mercy, as test kits are impossible to access and a vaccine is nonexistent.
It is being repeated that “The most effective way to minimize risk of the virus’s transmission is to reduce density and maximize social distance.”
In Italy, doctors and hospitals are so overwhelmed that as a written policy, they are abandoning patients above the age of 60 and are instead treating younger people to save their lives. If we don’t want that to happen here in our country, we must contain it by maximizing social distance and following basic hygiene.
This newsletter provides you important information which the Sound Vision team has been working on throughout the weekend to offer Islamically-based tips, ideas, inspiration, and hope through this crisis.
Five Midday Webinars:
Starting Tuesday, Sound Vision will be offering daily webinars for five days, offering expert advice and tips. Here are some of the topics which we will cover.
- 10 things Masjids can do for community service during the COVID-19 pandemic
- 10 tips to help keep your family creatively engaged during the pandemic
- Wonders of Wudu & personal hygiene in Islamic Culture
- Making the most of Juma during the pandemic
- Dealing with isolation & anxiety
- The Sunnah of giving during a pandemic
Register Now for Daily Webinars
Action items:
Get an online evaluation: If you suspect you have Coronavirus, have a high fever, a persistent cough, or signs of respiratory distress such as shortness of breath, you can use an online free test to assess if you have COVID-19. Those online medics will guide you. If they are overwhelmed, read this article in the Washington Post before you rush to the emergency room, which might mean you spending a whole day around other very sick people
For good hygiene there is nothing better than a good, thorough Wudu. Here are tips to enhance your Wudu to keep your hands, nose, and throat safe from the virus
For social distancing, get your Masjid to stop Juma prayers if they have not already done so. Here is the Islamic reasoning for why they must do so immediately
For engaging children and parents as everyone is home, check out these ten tips from Dawud Wharnsby, a veteran homeschooler, as well as ten things you can teach children during the crisis by Sr. Hosai Mojaddidi. And if you are not praying Juma, what are you doing at this time? Here is an alternate Juma program.
Donate to your local food bank. The pandemic doesn’t stop people from being hungry
Rights of neighbors: Check in with elderly people around you
Sacrifice: Stock your pantry with food, medicine, and hygiene supplies but be considerate of others by avoiding hoarding of essentials
Remain six feet away from each other, as recommended
Double your time for Dua. Ask God for His Mercy. He controls the world we don’t. We depend on Him as we carry out our duty
Talking Points:
Talk to your Masjid: Although Juma is not taking place, the Masjid must not shut down. Its leadership should develop a disaster plan. They must be more active in the area of social services, not less. Talk to your Masjid board and empower them with these ideas for Masjids by Taha Ghayyur, Vice-President of Sound Vision
Encourage good: It’s election season so politicians are accessible. Take this opportunity to tweet, call, and write to them. Just last week, the Federal Reserve offered financial firms up to $1.5 trillion in short-term loans. Are they willing to do the same for the average joe or jane on the street, who even does not know how to pay for the Coronavirus test, much less the treatment? Are they willing to expand the social security net for all Americans?
Ask government leaders why, if China, Italy, and South Korea have enough testing kits, the United States is finding it so difficult to test people. We thought the federal government learned something from the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster
Talk to Media: The whole country is talking about virtually nothing but the Coronavirus. What is happening with your family, your neighborhood, and your city? Feel free to share that with the media. Call in to talk shows, write letters to the editor, and engage with others on the media outlets’ tweets and social media posts. Silence is not an option
Thinking Points:
At this moment, we may feel so helpless knowing that “No guided missile technology…military might…no political influence can slow it down,” Leena Suleiman writes, as she invites us to consider “What COVID-19 Teaches Us About God”
Family dynamics will change suddenly as parents and children are home all day long together during a quarantine some are predicting could last eight weeks or so. Here are some tips for mental health during this trying time from Samana Siddiqui, our Content Manager
Why is our healthcare system so bad that we cannot even test people? Consider California — a state with nearly 40 million people, which has conducted only 1,573 tests as of Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times, finding 198 confirmed cases of Coronavirus. What can we do to change our healthcare system during this election season?
How will low-income children who depend on the school system for breakfast and lunch be fed? What type of social security system changes will be needed?
How are single parents going to work and take care of their children?
The federal government failed to provide adequate assistance to its own citizens during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It is now failing the Coronavirus test as well. What can we as individual citizens and neighbors do?
Dear brothers and sisters
Be safe, keep making Wudu, and stay six feet away from others.
Add new comment