The saddest part of the COVID-19 pandemic has been how many of us have lost loved ones. Everything we do to comfort someone grieving such an immense loss is now off-limits: kissing, hugging, and even gathering to pray janazah over a loved one.
The saddest part of the COVID-19 pandemic has been how many of us have lost loved ones. Everything we do to comfort someone grieving such an immense loss is now off-limits: kissing, hugging, and even gathering to pray janazah over a loved one.
The coronavirus pandemic has touched all of our lives in some way. With shelter-in-place measures being implemented all over the world, we have seen ripple effects in the Muslim community on so many levels. From health care workers who risk their lives daily without proper personal protective equipment to people who are suffering devastating job losses or furloughs or even the lonely elderly, the need for emergency relief is clear. But how we can help?
Here are some ways we can work together as a community to heal.
Protect Our Health Care Workers With PPE
Our health care workers are on the front lines, exposing themselves to COVID-19 daily as they treat patients. Can you imagine them not having the gloves and masks they need?
They rely on personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves and their patients from being infected by COVID-19 and infecting others. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), healthcare workers will need an estimated 89 million medical-grade masks and 76 million gloves for the COVID-19 response per month. With PPE shortages pushing our healthcare workers to the brink, we need to do what we can to give them the PPE they need to save lives.
To help our health care workers, the Zakat Foundation of America has secured and plans to donate over a million medical-grade gloves and over 100,000 masks to local hospitals in underserved communities.
How can you help? Give $5 for a set of gloves and a mask here.
Help Those COVID-19 Has Hit Hardest
We are living in uncertain times. Due to social distancing shutting non-essential businesses, we have seen layoffs occur in multiple job sectors. Restaurants, malls, hotels, and airline employees have seen their jobs disappear. Now, we are seeing a second wave of layoffs occurring because businesses are seeing sales decline. We recognize that 17 million Americans have sought unemployment benefits in the past three weeks, dwarfing any period of mass layoffs recorded since World War II.
We need to provide financial assistance to those in our community who are struggling to cover basic needs like housing, bills, and everyday costs. The Zakat Foundation of America is on the ground working to provide emergency food packages, hygiene kits, and financial assistance.
Take Care of Our Community’s Mental Health Needs
Social distancing has meant that our social connections have shifted. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges may linger, even as coronavirus cases level out or decline — especially for those on the front lines. Isolation due to social distancing, the added fears of catching COVID-19, adjusting to a new “normal” routine at home, and more, have added more stressors to our lives.
“There’s a secondary contagion to COVID-19,” said Hooman Keshavarzi, executive director of Khalil Center. “Panic and anxiety combined with forced social isolation and social distancing — the sudden, unpredicted change has drastically impacted all of our lives, resulting in detrimental mental health effects, especially given the uncertainty of how long such measures will remain in place.”
Khalil Center, a Zakat Foundation project, has stepped up to offer subsidized mental health services such as web therapy, informational videos, crisis-line calling options, and live webinars.
Mourn the Ones You Have Lost
The saddest part of the COVID-19 pandemic has been how many of us have lost loved ones. Everything we do to comfort someone grieving such an immense loss is now off-limits: kissing, hugging, and even gathering to pray janazah over a loved one.
In order to allow people to grieve and honor the legacy of their loved ones, the Zakat Foundation of America has created a digital COVID-19 Memorial Wall. Those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19 are invited to share their thoughts, feelings, and prayers, connecting to others who share their pain either publicly or anonymously.
Embrace Resilience
Our community is deep-rooted in communal love. While we may not be able to gather together in our local masjids, we know that our faith will see us through this. In Surah al-Baqarah (2:153-157), we know that life’s difficulties are just a temporary test. In times like these, we have the strength to know that hardships will end eventually.
As Allah promises us in Surah al-Inshirah (94:5-6):
“Then, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely, with hardship comes ease.”
Here is to our time of ease coming soon for all of us (God willing).
