March 19, 2020

View a PDF of the letter here.

To counter the severe outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic, the Muslim Public Affairs Council joined nearly 35 fellow American Muslim religious, civic, community, medical, and healthcare organizations across the United States to participate in a National Muslim Task Force on COVID-19. We released a joint statement from this task force to provide recommendations to our community members for how to maneuver through these trying times and best protect ourselves and one another from harm. 

With the diverse expertise of our task force participants, this statement not only outlines the medical facts about COVID-19, but also urges American Muslims to follow local protocols for self-quarantine and social distancing, recommends organizations provide religious counseling and similar services online, and, by consensus of religious leaders, requests that public congregational prayers (including Jumuah) be suspended.

Please take the time to review our statement, practice our recommendations, and share it with your friends and family. As always, MPAC is here to serve you and thanks you for your support. 

Key takeaways: 

• Anyone can contract the coronavirus; there is no vaccine for the disease yet, nor is anyone immune from it; there are no known treatments for COVID-19; many of those spreading the virus are completely unaware because they show no symptoms
• All non-essential gathering should be suspended immediately 
• Follow the advice of local, regional, state, and national public health or government authorities to practice self-quarantine and social distancing 
• If we do not practice recommended measures, we risk facing a shortage of healthcare resources to care for all patients with COVID-19
• Islamic principles dictate that “avoiding harm takes precedence over acquiring benefit,” and as such, our places of worship should suspend public congregational prayers, including public Jumuah prayers, to protect the lives of congregants