Religious Practices among Malaysian Muslim during Pandemic: An Appraisal

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people throughout the world. It began in 2019 and is continuously spreading globally till today. This study has been conducted to see the Malaysian perception towards the pandemic. It identifies how people had performed religious practices before and during the first movement control order (MCO) which began in March 2020; this study also observes social practices among Malaysians after the first MCO. It reveals that there was a difference in the concept of practices during and after the MCO. Most Malaysians tend to be more disciplined in executing activities and in attempting to improve their religious practices during the MCO. It is suggested that many people could not abide by the standard operating procedure (SOP) after the MCO, whereby they continued with the normal prepandemic culture such as visiting relatives, family gatherings, going on vacations and many other social activities. This study concludes that consistency is integral in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19. This study also suggests that despite performing better spiritual practice, people should take physical precautions to help flatten the rising curve of the contagious disease.