One of the most terrifying aspects of pathogens like the novel coronavirus is that they do not respect borders. Yet borders determine our vulnerability to infectious diseases. Today, governmental efforts have meant that citizens within certain national boundaries—like New Zealand or Vietnam—are much less likely to suffer from COVID-19.

As India struggles to flatten the COVID-19 curve, Muslims in India are fighting a spike in anti-Muslim hatred, a sentiment that has long since been there but has drastically intensified during the pandemic. Physical attacks on Muslims, the barring of their entry into colonies and villages, and exhortations not to do business with them have been reported all over the country.