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The role of religion in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic: the Malaysian multi-faith perspectives.
Tan, Min Min; Musa, Ahmad Farouk; Su, Tin Tin.
  • Tan MM; South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) & Global Public Health, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia.
  • Musa AF; Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia.
  • Su TT; Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor 47500, Malaysia.
Health Promot Int ; 37(1)2022 Feb 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1806409
ABSTRACT
Social distancing is crucial in breaking the cycle of transmission of COVID-19. However, many religions require the faithful to congregate. In Malaysia, the number of COVID-19 cases spiked up from below 30 in February 2020 to more than a thousand a month later. The sudden increase was mostly linked to a large Islamic gathering attended by 16,000 near the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Another large COVID-19 cluster was from a church gathering in Kuching, Sarawak. Within a few weeks, Malaysia became the worst hit country by COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. While religious leaders have advised social distancing among their congregants, the belief that "God is our shield" is often cited for gathering. There is a need to promote sound decision-making among religious adherents so that they will not prioritize their loyalty to the subjective interpretation of religion over evidence-based medicine. Malaysia, a multi-cultural and multi-faith country, is an example of how religious beliefs could strongly influence health behaviours at individual and community levels. In this article, we detail the religious aspects of COVID-19 prevention and control in Malaysia and discuss the possible role of religious organizations in encouraging sound decision-making among religious adherents in mitigating this crisis. We make recommendations on how to promote a partnership between the healthcare system and religious organizations, and how religion and faith could be integrated into health promotion channels and resources in the response of COVID-19 and future communicable diseases.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Limits: Humans Language: English Journal subject: Public Health Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Heapro

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Limits: Humans Language: English Journal subject: Public Health Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Heapro