Raj-Hindustani
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God is with us': Many Muslims in Pakistan flout the coronavirus ban in mosques
Muslims gather to attend Friday prayer after government limits congregational prayers and ordered to stay home, in efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Karachi, Pakistan April 3, 2020. (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)
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Sabir Durrani says he offers prayers almost every day at a mosque in the central Pakistani city of Multan. He says that often a dozen or more men are in attendance - none of them wearing protective face masks.
Durrani, 52, is among thousands of devout Muslims flouting Pakistan government orders issued late last month banning religious congregations of five or more people to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The disease has so far infected more than 5,300 people and killed 93 in the world's second-most populous Muslim country.
"Our prayer leader told us that the virus can't infect us the way it does Western people," Durrani told Reuters. "He said we wash our hands and we wash our face five times a day before we say our prayers, and the infidels don't, so we need not worry. God is with us."
The Islamic lobby holds immense clout in Pakistan, a country of over 200 million people. Religious parties have not been successful in electoral politics but they are able to whip up large, often violent, crowds on matters pertaining to religion, such as in support of the country's harsh blasphemy law.
"Religion and prayers are an emotional issue for many people in Pakistan, and the government has to be sensitive to that,” Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, told Reuters.
More than 60% of the coronavirus cases in Pakistan have so far been linked to Muslims returning from pilgrimages in the Middle East and followers of the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox proselytizing group.
But the worry is of a big spike coming from the congregational prayers held in mosques, especially on Fridays, the Islamic sabbath. The numbers in attendance at prayers are likely to increase with the onset of the holy month of Ramadan within two weeks, and authorities are struggling to cope.
While the Council of Islamic Ideology, a body that advises the government on religious issues, has called on clerics and the public to cooperate with government measures, several priests and local leaders have opposed the ban.
A prominent leader of a religious party told a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for a funeral last week that government orders to limit congregations were unacceptable.
"If you do this, we will be forced to think that mosques are being deserted on America's instructions," Mufti Kafayatullah told the crowd. "We're ready to give our lives, but not ready to desert our mosques."
Blind eye
In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, police were attacked for a second straight week as they attempted to halt prayers at a mosque last Friday. A policewoman was injured in the clashes, and in the previous week, police fired shots in the air to quell an angry mob.
In other cities, police seem to be turning a blind eye to some mosque gatherings.
Last Friday, one of the top Twitter trends in Pakistan was "Muslims, the mosque is calling you".
In the capital, Islamabad, hundreds gathered on Friday without any hindrance at one of the city's largest mosques, located just two miles (three km) from the seat of Pakistan's government, including parliament and the prime minister's secretariat.
On March 27, authorities filed 88 cases against mosque administrations in Karachi and arrested 38 people for defying restrictions on Friday congregations, but charges were dropped a day later, and the people were released.
"I think it's partly appeasement and partly the fact that Pakistan's governments and politics are locked permanently in an electoral framework in which they don't want to lose support of the religious elite and religious proletariat," Pakistani author and defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa told Reuters.
Akbar, the special assistant to the prime minister, said most mosques were cooperating with the government.
He added however: "This is a sensitive matter, we don't want to impose it using a stick. And even if we wanted to, there aren't enough sticks to implement it across Pakistan."
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/13/god-is-with-us-many-muslims-in-pakistan-flout-the-coronavirus-ban-in-mosques.html
Pakistan Clerics Warn Government Against Bans on Mass Prayers
by Newsweek Pakistan April 14, 2020 0 comment
File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP
Wafaqul Madaris ulema say they will continue Friday prayers, refuse to limit congregations to five people or less
Senior clerics of the Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia on Monday warned the government against imposing any further restrictions on congregations in mosques in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, saying the crisis required citizens to spend more time on prayer.
The Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia, an organization representing more than 12,000 madrassas across Pakistan, announced its decision after a meeting between more than 50 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the federal capital. In addition to the clerics, representatives of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) and banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat were also present at the meeting.
Two weeks ago, the government had announced a ban on prayer congregations of more than five people to prevent large groups from gathering in mosques in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. It had also required the mosques to remove rugs and carpets, wash floors regularly and commit to social distancing during prayers.
Announcing their decision, Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria President Azizur Rahman Hazarvi—also a member of JUIF in Islamabad—vowed that clerics would try to avoid any clashes with the government and state institutions. He said the meeting did not agree with the government’s limits on mass prayers, as the clerics believed times of crisis required more time for prayers. Therefore, he said, congregations would continue five times daily, for Friday prayers and for Taraweeh prayers during the holy month of Ramzan, which is set to begin next week.
As a sop to the government, the clerics announced the congregations would take preventative measures such as using hand sanitizers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. “The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen,” said Hazarvi, adding that seeking the forgiveness of Allah and increasing the people praying in mosques was the only was to eradicate the virus. He also urged government leaders to seek forgiveness for the crisis.
The meeting’s participants also slammed the government for arresting clerics that were violating restrictions on mass prayers, and demanded all cases against them to be dismissed. The clerics claimed they had cooperated with the government—a proven falsity as there are numerous reports of clerics violating orders and allowing large congregations—to curb the coronavirus outbreak, but police had behaved poorly with mosque administrations.
Also on Monday, Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri announced that the government would discuss extended restrictions on congregations in mosques with various stakeholders. The government has yet to formulate or announce any strategy for mosque restrictions during Ramzan.
Unlike Pakistan, most of the Muslim world has strictly imposed bans on congregations in mosques. Saudi Arabia banned prayers in mosques last month, while similar restrictions have been adopted by Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Iran.
https://www.newsweekpakistan.com/pakistan-clerics-warn-government-against-bans-on-mass-prayers/
- Asif Shahzad
Reuters
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Sabir Durrani says he offers prayers almost every day at a mosque in the central Pakistani city of Multan. He says that often a dozen or more men are in attendance - none of them wearing protective face masks.
Durrani, 52, is among thousands of devout Muslims flouting Pakistan government orders issued late last month banning religious congregations of five or more people to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The disease has so far infected more than 5,300 people and killed 93 in the world's second-most populous Muslim country.
"Our prayer leader told us that the virus can't infect us the way it does Western people," Durrani told Reuters. "He said we wash our hands and we wash our face five times a day before we say our prayers, and the infidels don't, so we need not worry. God is with us."
The Islamic lobby holds immense clout in Pakistan, a country of over 200 million people. Religious parties have not been successful in electoral politics but they are able to whip up large, often violent, crowds on matters pertaining to religion, such as in support of the country's harsh blasphemy law.
"Religion and prayers are an emotional issue for many people in Pakistan, and the government has to be sensitive to that,” Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, told Reuters.
More than 60% of the coronavirus cases in Pakistan have so far been linked to Muslims returning from pilgrimages in the Middle East and followers of the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox proselytizing group.
But the worry is of a big spike coming from the congregational prayers held in mosques, especially on Fridays, the Islamic sabbath. The numbers in attendance at prayers are likely to increase with the onset of the holy month of Ramadan within two weeks, and authorities are struggling to cope.
While the Council of Islamic Ideology, a body that advises the government on religious issues, has called on clerics and the public to cooperate with government measures, several priests and local leaders have opposed the ban.
A prominent leader of a religious party told a crowd of hundreds of people gathered for a funeral last week that government orders to limit congregations were unacceptable.
"If you do this, we will be forced to think that mosques are being deserted on America's instructions," Mufti Kafayatullah told the crowd. "We're ready to give our lives, but not ready to desert our mosques."
Blind eye
In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, police were attacked for a second straight week as they attempted to halt prayers at a mosque last Friday. A policewoman was injured in the clashes, and in the previous week, police fired shots in the air to quell an angry mob.
In other cities, police seem to be turning a blind eye to some mosque gatherings.
Last Friday, one of the top Twitter trends in Pakistan was "Muslims, the mosque is calling you".
In the capital, Islamabad, hundreds gathered on Friday without any hindrance at one of the city's largest mosques, located just two miles (three km) from the seat of Pakistan's government, including parliament and the prime minister's secretariat.
On March 27, authorities filed 88 cases against mosque administrations in Karachi and arrested 38 people for defying restrictions on Friday congregations, but charges were dropped a day later, and the people were released.
"I think it's partly appeasement and partly the fact that Pakistan's governments and politics are locked permanently in an electoral framework in which they don't want to lose support of the religious elite and religious proletariat," Pakistani author and defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa told Reuters.
Akbar, the special assistant to the prime minister, said most mosques were cooperating with the government.
He added however: "This is a sensitive matter, we don't want to impose it using a stick. And even if we wanted to, there aren't enough sticks to implement it across Pakistan."
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/13/god-is-with-us-many-muslims-in-pakistan-flout-the-coronavirus-ban-in-mosques.html
Pakistan Clerics Warn Government Against Bans on Mass Prayers
by Newsweek Pakistan April 14, 2020 0 comment
File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP
Wafaqul Madaris ulema say they will continue Friday prayers, refuse to limit congregations to five people or less
Senior clerics of the Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia on Monday warned the government against imposing any further restrictions on congregations in mosques in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, saying the crisis required citizens to spend more time on prayer.
The Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia, an organization representing more than 12,000 madrassas across Pakistan, announced its decision after a meeting between more than 50 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the federal capital. In addition to the clerics, representatives of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) and banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat were also present at the meeting.
Two weeks ago, the government had announced a ban on prayer congregations of more than five people to prevent large groups from gathering in mosques in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. It had also required the mosques to remove rugs and carpets, wash floors regularly and commit to social distancing during prayers.
Announcing their decision, Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria President Azizur Rahman Hazarvi—also a member of JUIF in Islamabad—vowed that clerics would try to avoid any clashes with the government and state institutions. He said the meeting did not agree with the government’s limits on mass prayers, as the clerics believed times of crisis required more time for prayers. Therefore, he said, congregations would continue five times daily, for Friday prayers and for Taraweeh prayers during the holy month of Ramzan, which is set to begin next week.
As a sop to the government, the clerics announced the congregations would take preventative measures such as using hand sanitizers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. “The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen,” said Hazarvi, adding that seeking the forgiveness of Allah and increasing the people praying in mosques was the only was to eradicate the virus. He also urged government leaders to seek forgiveness for the crisis.
The meeting’s participants also slammed the government for arresting clerics that were violating restrictions on mass prayers, and demanded all cases against them to be dismissed. The clerics claimed they had cooperated with the government—a proven falsity as there are numerous reports of clerics violating orders and allowing large congregations—to curb the coronavirus outbreak, but police had behaved poorly with mosque administrations.
Also on Monday, Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri announced that the government would discuss extended restrictions on congregations in mosques with various stakeholders. The government has yet to formulate or announce any strategy for mosque restrictions during Ramzan.
Unlike Pakistan, most of the Muslim world has strictly imposed bans on congregations in mosques. Saudi Arabia banned prayers in mosques last month, while similar restrictions have been adopted by Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Iran.
https://www.newsweekpakistan.com/pakistan-clerics-warn-government-against-bans-on-mass-prayers/
