Religious communities and their COVID-19 responses.
Across the Middle East, responses by religious leaders and given communities to government-imposed restrictions to combat COVID-19 have varied widely, ranging from support to ambiguity to outright resistance.
Support for prevention measures from both Sunni and Shia senior clerics in Iraq should help avoid new fault lines.
In Lebanon, popular anger towards corrupt sectarian parties will resurface once the health crisis recedes.
Israel’s approach in enforcing compliance among the ultra-Orthodox will compound community mistrust of public health authorities.
In controlled Gulf environments, any conservative discontent over restrictions on worship is unlikely to find public voice.
Bahrain would be the most likely flashpoint in the Gulf for sectarian confrontations if infections spiked.
