COVID-19 Circuit Breaker: 4 Digital Coping Mechanisms Used by the Singapore Muslim Community
By: Rusyaidi Radzi
Tags: Disruptive Technologies, Adaptability, Ramadan, Muslim, Covid 19

A light at the end of the pandemic tunnel

COVID-19 Circuit Breaker: 4 Digital Coping Mechanisms Used by the Singapore Muslim Community

If you’d ask me what is the one thing that the whole Covid19 situation has taught us, I’d confidently answer conforming to a new normalcy of digital disruption on our regular behaviors and routines. As the world grapples to resolve one of the catastrophic pandemics in history, Muslims around the world continue to quest for alternative spiritual, cultural and theological coping mechanisms in this challenging period.

From the initial cultural changes of discouraging muslims to shake hands and exchange of brotherly hugs to replacing them with Salam Mufti, where one places his hands on his chest as a greeting symbol. From the closure of mosques for at least five days for cleaning to a more sensitive yet tactful measure of closing all 70 mosques till further notice. From limiting the number of wedding guest attendees to a hefty approach of postponing pre-planned solemnizations.

These adjustment measures are well opposed by some adherents of determinism and fatalism. In which, they assume everything happens by the will of God. Life and death are predestined by Him and to be infected or not is beyond our humanistic control and means. To fear other than God himself would mean an act of deviation from the faith. Others would argue that preventive measures like postponing the solemnization would lead to a series of misconducts including fornification and adultery.

Cases continue to escalate and people have no choice but to be more creatively adaptive and submissive to paternalistic state orders.

Adapting to the sudden wave of changes, Muslims around the world, particularly in Singapore are addressing this dismal feeling differently. Apart from the obligation to turn to God for every matter, Muslims turn to digitalization to reach God. Here are the 4 digital coping mechanisms popularly used amongst the society:

Online Lectures and Casual sharing session

One might be going to his preferred religious institution or centre on every Tuesday for his weekly classes. Another one would be torn between choosing Class Y or Class Z which takes place on the same day. No doubt the current pandemic has restricted social gatherings from taking place. The restriction movement order has seen the surge of religious content streamed online. Mosque and religious service providers are creatively engaging the public using mediums like Zoom, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. From being torn between classes to being surrounded with a plethora of religious content made online. No excuse on accessibility, users are now able to access the content like Kuliah.sg and Fatihativ.com at their own convenience.

Interestingly, this whole pandemic allows the religious service providers to learn, unlearn and relearn on ways to effectively digitalize the pedagogy of teaching. The amount of time allocated, the content chosen, the interaction presented and the personality displayed are some of the important considerations before going virtual.

2. Online Donation (Crowdfunding)

Undoubtedly, we do miss the mosque volunteers carrying the donation box during the friday prayers. We also miss donating our only 10 dollar note visibly available in our pvc leather wallet, firmly believing in God’s blessings in return. The act of physically folding your money into the familiar rectangular hole accompanied by your sincerest intention, is a satisfaction you can rarely get elsewhere.

The mosque in general is built on community support and funding. In this challenging period, mosques are going online to quest for monetary support from the public for its operational costs. With every post and live sessions featured, there is a glimpse of donation details through PayNow and QR Codes.

Pre Circuit Breaker period, a mosque located in a mature estate would garner more weekly donations than the ones in non-mature estate. The former too requires more funding for its additional manpower and maintenance expenses. Ultimately, all mosques require our continuous support in this challenging time. And thankfully, we have platforms like ourmasjid.sg and tabungmasjidsg.com which help to facilitate and ease our way of making contributions to all mosques in Singapore.

3. Online Tadarrus

Prior to the closing of mosques and restriction order for social gathering, we could see our fellow Muslims gathering to recite the quran. When Ramadan approaches, this action occurs religiously among congregants. They will stay and remain in the mosque after the Terawih prayers and later form a golden circle to collectively recite verses from the Quran. However, in the case of Covid-19, such desirable gathering is not possible.

Ardent congregants started to turn to online platforms like Zoom and Google Hangout as an alternative. They would fix a certain time for them to gather after their Tarawih errands and collectively recite as planned. Previously, we have also seen the advent of online recitation via whatsapp as initiated by an independent group called, One Day One Juz SG (ODOJ SG), which has been running for 7 years since 2014. The group seeks to motivate the public in reciting the Quran as well as to foster a culture of daily Quranic recitation.

4. Access to free publications online

Circuit breaker or restriction movement order period means people would be spending most of their time in their houses regularly checking their four-edged amoled display phone. While some are glued to the layman long chained narrative Whatsapp messages, others are very fondly into academic matters understanding this whole Covid situation. International publishers like Brill and Oxford University Press are offering free access to Covid19 related journals in order to educate the masses on the current pandemic. As the first revelation was revealed 1400 years ago (96:1) espousing on the importance of reading, what is our excuse to not read and to blatantly support baseless arguments?

Echoing Plato’s saying in the dialogue Republic, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” this whole Covid 19 pandemic has compelled us to diversify our usual religious approach. It’s safe to say that everything happens for a reason. From an IT illiterate not knowing how to mute on a conference call to a web conferencing settings expert, choosing cheeky virtual background settings on Zoom. People have to adapt, nonetheless.