The YouTube prayer channel started during Covid that’s causing a stir on social media. The group is calling for a two-week “pause” on religious broadcasting for the virus, which has killed more than 12,200 people and infected over 4,800,000 worldwide.
In the video, which has more than 800,000 views to date, one of the group’s leaders, David Silverman, also known as Sajad Haider, says the group was inspired by the words of former United Nations chief Kofi Annan.
He says the video, filmed in a mosque, shows how life will change after a pandemic, and hopes people will listen to the video even if it makes them upset, to help them understand how we can move forward together.
In a statement Thursday, YouTube said the group’s “message does not represent the views or policies of the company.” It said the group “is no longer available to view on YouTube, but the video is still available to view on the group’s Facebook page.”
In an email to CNN, Google said it “can confirm that a group of individuals created a video using the YouTube platform. We’ve removed the video, but it will remain available on YouTube for those who wish to view it.
“YouTube is committed to addressing the concerns that many people have about the COVID-19 pandemic,” a YouTube spokesperson said in the statement. “We believe it’s important to listen to the input of people around the world about how they’re dealing with this crisis, and our team is doing just that. We’ll continue to add resources and tools throughout the pandemic, to help people around the world feel more connected to the platform so that they can connect with other people around the world.”
In the video, called “From mosque to the internet” and made by the group with help from members of the U.S. Muslim community, the group says the coronavirus pandemic is going to be the biggest of our lifetimes. It also says that we are not going to understand it because we live