The heartbreak, memories and lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic is shared in a new book written by Imam Rashied Omar from Salt River.
Mr Omar, who has been the imam at the Claremont Main Road Mosque since 1986, launched his book titled, Avoiding Harm: A Muslim Response to Covid-19 at Islamia College on Saturday March 16.
The book, which is published by Wipf and Stock Publishers based in Eugene, Oregon, USA, portrays the sermons, advice, and guidance provided to the Claremont Main Road Mosque by its imams and elected board of governors during the course of the pandemic.
“The book also carries a concluding chapter by an expert in the study of lived religion, who critically reflects on this collection of sermons and the response of the mosque by providing some independent and interfaith ruminations on the themes of religion, science, and the human person,” he said.
Mr Omar says many researchers who conducted studies on religious responses to the Covid-19 focused mostly on Christianity.
“This book fills this lacuna by providing some useful insights into how one Muslim religious institution responded to the pandemic,” he says.
Mr Omar says he, along with leaders of the Claremont Main Road Mosque, were challenged during the pandemic. “For example, giving our loved one’s a dignified funeral during the lockdown period was challenging, but we dug deep into our spiritual resources and discovered creative and novel ways of providing solace and support for the grieving family members and friends.”
According to the World Health Organization over 6.9 million people have died since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Mr Omar says the book “seeks to remember this unprecedented period in recent history and is a clarion call for harnessing the timeless lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic to imagine and work towards a more compassionate and just world”.
Mr Omar is currently in America as an Associate Teaching Professor of Islamic Studies and Peace building at the University of Notre Dame in the state of Indiana, where he teaches courses in Peace Studies annually during the spring semester.
He previously released a book in 2017 called, Islam Beyond Violent Extremism.
If you would like a copy of Avoiding Harm: A Muslim Response to Covid-19 you can call the Claremont Main Road Mosque at 021 683 8384 or email cmrm@iafrica.co.za
