How are people of faith in Southeast Asia responding to the Covid pandemic?
Some Muslim commentators in Southeast Asia emphasise Allah’s overarching sovereignty as the underlying cause of Covid. Ustadz Haerul Akmal of the Islamic University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia, commented that ‘Allah … wants to test his servants, which of them remains upright in carrying out all God’s commands and upright in avoiding all heinous deeds.’
In Malaysia, Islamist politician Abdul Hadi Awang declares Covid-19 to be ‘a test from God and only Allah can overcome the battle against the disease … whatever is happening is the will of Allah and no power can challenge his will.’
