A controversial preacher from Indonesia has recently claimed that mandatory face mask laws were crafted by jews who feel uneasy about seeing Muslims smiling at each other as they greet. As reported by Indonesian news portal Terkini.id, the preacher, Ustaz Ihsan Tanjung made the claim during a video titled ‘Ustadz Kembali Bahas Sholat Dist4ncing – Ustaz Ihsan Tanjung’ recorded by Berislam Channel on 24 April 2021 which can be viewed on Youtube here.
During the video, Ihsan Tanjung made several other controversial claims such as the mandatory distancing during jamaah or mass prayers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is allegedly against the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.). He claims that such laws were made by Jews that are jealous of the discipline of Muslims who perform mass prayers together.
The controversial preacher, Ustaz Ihsan Tanjung.
Furthermore, he also iterated that many laws during this pandemic are created by Jews to weaken Muslims’ faith. The preacher also touched upon social distancing laws of not being allowed to greet each other by shaking each others’ hands during the pandemic as weakening the solidarity of Muslims worldwide.
Thankfully, the controversial views of Ustaz Ihsan Tanjung are not accepted by the majority of Muslims. Many Muslim scholars have discussed the act of worship such as prayers during a pandemic extensively with the consensus agreeing that social distancing should be prioritised in order to curb the spread of a deadly disease. The Federal Territories Mufti discussed the matter extensively here, in case you’re interested reading into it.
For illustrative purposes.
It is important to separate conspiracy theories with the actual teachings of Islam. For my Muslims friends out there, let’s remember to always refer back to Islamic scholars that have the authority to voice out assertions in line with Islamic discourse.
Also read: Indonesian Preacher Claims That Many Muslims Become Apostates Because of Indomie
