#182
Sharpening Focus on Inequality and Poverty
At the
annual meeting and general assembly of the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD), held largely in person in Cape Town, South Africa, earlier this month, vaccine inequity, food security and poverty reduction, climate action, and localizing aid were all topics that were high on the agenda, and speakers highlighted the role of religious actors in development and humanitarian aid during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Renier Koegelenberg, executive director of the EFSA Institute for Theological and Interdisciplinary Research, remarked that during the height of the pandemic “religious networks were able to continue their work, [and] kept giving food to people within the parameters of what was allowed.” But he also acknowledged that “many faith communities don’t understand the pressure governments are under, [so] both sides need some sort of literacy to work better together.”
Illustrating the challenge posed by Dr. Koegelenberg’s remarks, Sufi shrines in India-administered
Kashmir provided more than just prayer before the pandemic –– they also were a source of food and money for many people in vulnerable situations. With heavy restrictions imposed by the government during COVID-19, people who relied on charity provided by the shrines were left without resources. Some have also expressed frustration and anger at the apparent hypocrisy of the government imposing such restrictive rules in India-administered Kashmir, where the population is majority Muslim, but not on Hindu gatherings such as the Kumbh Mela. Intersecting inequalities, including class and religion, have affected how people experience the pandemic. COVID-19 is already taking a larger toll on religiously marginalized groups in India and Nigeria, according to research from the
Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development.
While many religious institutions have been aiding the COVID-19 vaccination efforts (as we have highlighted in the past), in other areas people face the quandary of conflicting advice. In
Zimbabwe, Gladys Mapondera went against the Apostolic church to get vaccinated. “I took the decision to get vaccinated because my life is my responsibility,” she said. COVID-19 awareness programs targeting interfaith leaders are being formed to combat vaccine hesitancy. Other campaigners in Zimbabwe are also advocating for members of the Apostolic church to get vaccinated. For example,
UNICEF draws on members of religious communities to advocate for modern medicine and vaccines.
Another place where work is being done to combat the crisis of misinformation that surrounds COVID-19 is
Bangladesh. Here too, faith plays a complex role. Research shows that people have relied on local experts, including religious leaders and rural witches, and their own spiritual views to evaluate new coronavirus information. Sharifa Sultana, lead author of
the study “Dissemination, Situated Fact-Checking, and Social Effects of Misinformation Among Rural Bangladeshi Villagers During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” proposes that designing new tools that consider local knowledge, myths, and cultural beliefs will be most effective at combating misinformation in Bangladesh.
Finally, René Ostberg’s review of
To Hell with It: Of Sin, Sex, Chicken Wings, and Dante’s Entirely Ridiculous, Needlessly Guilt-Inducing Inferno by Dinty Moore discusses her experience of reading about the
concept of hell during COVID-19. Ostberg reflects on Moore’s approach to Dante and Catholicism in the book, and her own Catholic upbringing, and poses the poignant question, “is it time to reconsider hell, given the hell time we’re living in? Instead of sin and salvation, wouldn’t it be better to focus on social justice, on alleviating the suffering on Earth while we’re alive?”
