People who get up early in the morning and go to work, students who hit the road for school and people who try to survive despite the virus by moving away from their old habits. People say goodbye to the places where they shop, places where they visit and drink coffee, friends, relatives and daily habits and try to isolate themselves as much as possible. Of course, the distances we build between the objects we attach to or our relatives are important as a protective effect, but everything we move away from turns into a law in our inner world.
Social distance was a wall between the people marginalized by the racist mentality, and today it is a new concept that entered the lives of individuals and societies. As you remember, the racist mentality that triggered the anti-blackness in the USA in the 1960s, distanced themselves from these people not only emotionally but also physically and practically imposed this distance. At that time, you could see the hatred inflicted by the racist mentality everywhere. Think about it, even on the doors of the toilets there was the expression "belongs to the whites". Social distance was a distance that fascists regarded as suitable for the oppressed, refugee peoples, and people looked after by second-class human beings, and it rightly had a negative connotation in our minds. But interestingly, the people who saw themselves as privileged during the pandemic process experienced the same fate as the people they marginalized and took shelter behind masks. Because the virus does not distinguish any class, race, or status, and can knock on everyone's door.
Doctors state that the deadly virus is still active and stress that social distance should be maintained. However, Muslim societies that are familiar with closeness and intimacy could not get used to the determined distance. Because, as I said at the beginning, eastern societies attach importance to closeness in their relations with family and relatives, and even turn it into a way of life. Because intimacy is a sign of loving and valuing in our culture. Therefore, our people could not fully comprehend social distance. So what can we do? We should explain that the distance to people will only occur physically and that our sensory connections continue stronger than ever, and we should emphasize that it is essential to take these precautions for our safety. As a matter of fact, Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said, “If you hear that there is a plague in a place, do not enter there. If the plague occurs in your place, do not leave,” and emphasized the importance of life safety.