Sheikh Hussein Halawa, the Secretary-General of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, said in a March 15, 2020 show on Hiwar TV (U.K.) that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are clearly visible, and he criticized anybody who expects him to believe that it is some sort of global conspiracy. He pointed out that COVID-19 infects Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and that he will not let people draw him "from truth to fantasy." He said: "Do you expect me to just leave the sick people to die?"
Sheikh Hussein Halawa: "There are sick people – I have seen this with my own eyes. People have died – I have seen this with my own eyes. There is a pandemic that infects people, and I can see its effects with my own eyes. So, whoever wants me to lie about what I see, and ignore the [eyesight] and logic Allah blessed me with, and consider a so-called conspiracy... Do you expect me to just leave the sick people to die? Do you expect me to just let them die and let the pandemic spread? Am I supposed to think that this is a global conspiracy, the purpose of which was to... To achieve what exactly?
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"When [the coronavirus] appeared in China, they said it was a punishment from Allah, because the Chinese treated our people, the Uyghur Muslims, in an inhumane and uncivilized manner, and violated their human rights. But this pandemic is spreading all over the world. It does not spare Muslims or non-Muslims. Now we have seen with our own eyes how this pandemic has left China and is moving to other countries. It infects Uyghur Muslims just like it infects others. It does not spare Saudi Arabia just like it does not spare America or Russia. Allah has blessed me with senses and I must use them. I cannot let people drag me from truth to fantasy."