March 20, 2020
A gathering of 16,000 at a Malaysian mosque became the pandemic’s largest known vector in Southeast Asia, spreading the coronavirus to half a dozen countries.
A mosque in the Philippines run by Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary movement. A Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Malaysia has been linked to hundreds of coronavirus infections.Credit...Jes Aznar for The New York Times
BANGKOK — The faithful prayed by the thousands, hands and faces washed at communal taps to signify their purity. They crowded around platters on the floor, scooping up coconut rice with their right hands in the traditional way. And they slept in the mosque or in tents set up in the religious compound, rows of pilgrims from nearly 30 countries, gathered in Malaysia for spiritual renewal.