Yesterday, most Muslims in the world began fasting in the month of Ramadan, at the height of the "emerging corona" epidemic (Covid-19), which deprives many believers of traditional family meetings and prayers in mosques, although a number of religious officials and believers in some countries refuse measures Insulation.
And this month will not be the same as Muslims entrusted its airspace in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. As residents of most countries began to fast, Morocco, Iran and the authorities in Iraq and Lebanon announced that the first days of Ramadan would be today.
The restrictions imposed by most countries require mosques to keep their doors closed while the breakfast, which usually takes place in a family and sometimes festive atmosphere, cannot be shared with the extended family or neighbors, due to the ban on gatherings.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the day before yesterday, expressed "pain" due to reaching the month of fasting "under circumstances in which we do not have the opportunity to pray in congregation", but he stressed that these measures are "to preserve people's lives" .
Pictures taken by a pilot plane showed the Kaaba courtyard and the vicinity of the Grand Mosque are completely empty amid paralysis in the movement in Mecca, where the authorities impose a curfew.
Iraq decided to ease the curfew by allowing people to leave the house during daylight hours, except on weekends.
And the religious authority in Iraq, Ali Al-Sistani, considered that who cannot stay at home and has to work abroad, may not fast if he fears infection from the Corona virus, due to the lack of water in his body.
Isolation measures especially affect the poor, as millions of people in need depend every year on the free aid and breakfast tables that closed mosques offer this year.
"The mosques are closed and those who support us are also going through difficulties," said Salah Gabriel in Gaza.
In Lebanon, the new Corona virus and the economic crisis in the country impose a change in the revival of the month of Ramadan and its rituals, with the disappearance of the usual decorations from the streets, the cancellation of Tarawih prayers, and the restriction of breakfasts to the members of the narrow family in light of the curfew and the commitment of home quarantine.
Umm Ahmed, 60, is very sad that she will not receive her six children and their families at breakfast tables. "We will lose this beautiful atmosphere in exchange for preserving our lives and not catching (Corona) infection," she told AFP.
In the well-known city of Tripoli, with its Arabic sweets that attract Lebanese from all regions, Samer Hallab, the owner of the “Qasr Al-Helou” store, expects that “Ramadan sales will drop by more than 75%, compared to previous years.”
The same is true in Russia, where breakfast tables were spread near mosques, but they were absent this year, while fasting people in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were prevented from meeting with other family members if they were staying in another house. Tajikistan, which did not take any measures to prevent the spread of the virus, advised its citizens not to fast so that they would not be exposed to "infectious diseases", while Ramadan was going on in Turkmenistan, one of the most closed countries in the world, without any exceptional measures.
On the other hand, Indonesia, which has the largest number of Muslims in the world, will not witness the enthusiastic atmosphere that usually prevails during Ramadan. Religious authorities have called on Muslims to stay in their homes.
"This year Ramadan is very different, with no festive atmosphere," said the Indonesian family's housewife, a family of six. "I am disappointed that I will not be able to go to the mosque, but what can we do?" The world is different. ”
However, many religious officials have refused to abide by the restrictions associated with the spread of the "Covid 19" epidemic.
The largest Muslim organization in the Indonesian province of Aceh, which is a conservative region, has publicly opposed national measures requiring residents to stay in their homes.
Thousands of Muslims attended the Tarawih prayer Thursday evening in the largest mosque in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, although the crowd was smaller than usual.
Hotspots of infection in recent weeks between large Muslim groups in Malaysia, Pakistan and India have exposed the danger posed by large religious gatherings in Asia.
The World Health Organization has called for some of Ramadan's habits to be stopped to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
In Bangladesh, clerics rejected the authorities ’recommendations to limit mosque access.
In Pakistan, mosques crowded with worshipers as Ramadan approached, and they sat near each other without regard to the rules of social separation.
In Malaysia, where the majority of the population is Muslim, removal measures were extended until mid-May. Mosques and schools were closed and police patrols were deployed.
Isolation measures especially affect the poor, as millions of needy people depend each year on aid and free breakfast tables.