Ramadan: because of the coronavirus, Malaysia is considering postponing Eid until the end of December

Text by: Gabrielle Maréchaux

It is a radical decision that would try to stem an equally exceptional situation. While the usual rites of Ramadan are not compatible with the measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus, Malaysia is considering postponing Eid until the end of December.

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From our correspondent in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysians call it "balik kampung": the return to the village. Each year, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan inevitably brings about a desertion from the cities to find the village of its ancestors and celebrate Eid in the countryside. An annual migration so popular that even the more than 40% of non-Muslims in the country observe it every year.

Because if Malaysia is a Muslim state, the multi-ethnic character of its population has led it to consider as public holidays Muslim holidays, but also Hindu, Buddhist and Christian holidays that every citizen honors in his own way.

In order not to risk generating a second wave of epidemic when the country experienced its first day on April 20 without any death due to the coronavirus, the country seems to have found the solution. Postpone Eid holidays to the end of the year. This amazing idea does not come out of the blue, neighboring Indonesia already proposed it in early April.

Until then, the Malaysians have been very respectful of confinement, in particular because of a very zealous police in the sanctions that it delivers to those who break the rules.

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