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Pandemic brings gloom to Muslims marking month of Ramadan Muslims begin marking a subdued Ramadan under virus closures
(about 2 hours later)
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Millions of Muslims in Asia on Friday started the holiest month on the Islamic calendar under the coronavirus lockdown or strict social restrictions, deepening their anxiety over the disease. JAKARTA, Indonesia — Muslims worldwide began Ramadan on Friday with dawn-to-dusk fasting, but many will have to forgo the communal prayers and family gatherings that make the holy month special, as authorities maintain lockdowns aimed at slowing the coronavirus pandemic.
For many, Ramadan is a time to get closer to God, family and community, but the pandemic has upended those traditions. Many face unemployment, travel plans to visit relatives have been canceled and places where they usually break the daytime fast with families such as malls, parks and mosques are locked. Ramadan is usually a festive season, with the daylong fast followed by lavish meals and evening get-togethers. But this year many are confined to their homes, travel is heavily restricted and public venues like parks, malls and even mosques are shuttered.
Many are also weighed down by anxiety about the pandemic and widespread job losses resulting from the worldwide shutdowns.
“This is too sad to be remembered in history,” said Belm Febriansyah, a resident in the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.“This is too sad to be remembered in history,” said Belm Febriansyah, a resident in the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Social restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus have been extended in Jakarta, the epicenter of the outbreak in Indonesia, which has recorded more COVID-19 fatalities than any other Asian country except China. Indonesia counted 8,211 infections and 689 deaths. Jakarta is the epicenter of the outbreak in the country, which has reported more than 8,200 infections and 689 deaths. Passenger flights and rail services have been suspended, and private cars are banned from leaving the city.
Passenger flights and rail services have been suspended, preventing people from traveling to their hometowns in an annual exodus to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan. Authorities also banned private cars from leaving Jakarta. The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most people, who recover within a few weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death, particularly in older patients or those with underlying health problems.
The government of Muslim-majority Malaysia also extended the lockdown by two more weeks to May 12, although its daily virus cases have dropped significantly to double-digits in the past week. The country now has 5,603 cases, including 95 deaths. Muslim-majority countries began imposing widespread restrictions in mid-March, with many cancelling Friday prayers and shuttering holy sites. Saudi Arabia has largely locked down Mecca and Medina and halted the year-round umrah pilgrimage.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised speech late Thursday on the eve of Ramadan that people’s “jihad” against the COVID-19 pandemic has shown results but needed to be prolonged. On Friday, the Saudi-led coalition said it would extend a cease-fire with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels through Ramadan. Fighting has continued, with each side blaming the other.
Malaysia, along with neighboring Singapore and Brunei, has banned popular Ramadan bazaars where food, drinks and clothing are sold in congested open-air markets or roadside stalls. The bazaars are a source of key income for many small traders. Some have shifted their businesses online. Muslim-majority Malaysia extended its own lockdown by two more weeks to May 12, although its daily virus cases have dropped significantly in the past week. The country now has 5,603 cases, including 95 deaths.
Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has banned Ramadan prayers after the Pakistan Medical Association pleaded with Prime Minister Imran Khan and the country’s religious leaders to rethink their refusal to close mosques countrywide. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised speech on the eve of Ramadan that the “jihad” against the pandemic has shown results but must continue.
Even as Pakistan’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 have begun to increase by 600 and 700 a day, compared to earlier daily jumps of about 300, Khan has refused to order mosques closed. Instead he left it to clerics__ some of whom have called for adherents to pack mosques and trust their faith to protect them. Malaysia, along with neighboring Singapore and Brunei, has banned popular Ramadan bazaars, where food, drinks and clothing are sold in congested open-air markets or roadside stalls. The bazaars are a key source of income for many small traders, some of whom have shifted their businesses online.
Pakistan recorded 642 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of known infections to 11,155 with 237 deaths. Khan has criticized Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of being too zealous in his restrictions. Shah’s Pakistan People’s Party is politically opposed to Khan’s Justice Party. In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has bowed to pressure from the country’s powerful clerical establishment and allowed mosques to remain open, even as the number of new cases has recently doubled to between 600 and 700 each day. Some clerics have ordered their followers to pack into mosques, saying their faith will protect them.
Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital and the country’s financial hub, has the second largest number of cases in Pakistan. Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, however, banned Ramadan prayers after the Pakistan Medical Association pleaded with authorities to close mosques nationwide.
Communal sharing meals have been banned in Turkey during Ramadan. A key element of Ramadan is charity, with the fast partly intended to cultivate empathy for the needy. But many countries have imposed bans on communal meals, forcing charities to organize home deliveries instead.
The Interior Ministry also barred iftar tents providing food to break the fast, and Ramadan drummers, who mark fasting times by going door-to-door to collect tips. In Turkey, authorities have banned the tradition of setting up tents and outdoor tables to provide free meals to the poor. It has also forbidden drummers from going door to door to wake people up for the pre-dawn meal in exchange for tips another Ramadan tradition.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that the month of Ramadan should not be “an excuse to relax precautions.”Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that the month of Ramadan should not be “an excuse to relax precautions.”
“The month of blessings should not result in illness,” he said.“The month of blessings should not result in illness,” he said.
Ramadan in India begins on Saturday, but it has been marred by rising vilification of Muslims following accusations that a surge in infections was tied to a three-day meeting in March in New Delhi of an Islamic missionary group, the Tablighi Jamaat. Cairo was blanketed by a sandstorm on the first day of Ramadan. Egyptian authorities have scaled back a nightly curfew by one hour and eased restrictions on shopping malls. But it will be a far cry from past years, when Egyptians would be out on the streets at all hours of the night, shopping and packing into sidewalk cafes.
Some leaders of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party labeled the meeting as “corona terrorism” and “Talibani crime.” “It is not as joyful as every other year,” said Cairo resident Shabaan Maghraby. “We hope that with the blessings and prayers that come with the holy month the pandemic will end.”
As a result, many Muslims have faced renewed stigma, threats and boycott of vendors venturing into Hindu-dominated neighborhoods. Ramadan in India, which begins on Saturday, has been marred by the rising Islamophobia following accusations that a surge in infections was tied to a three-day meeting in March in New Delhi of an Islamic missionary group, the Tablighi Jamaat.
The lockdown in India, the world’s most draconian, has multiplied their troubles. During Ramadan, many would look up for community meals, alms and elaborate rituals giving them a sense of community. Some leaders of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party labeled the meeting as “corona terrorism.” As a result, many Muslims have faced renewed stigma, threats and the boycotting of vendors who venture into Hindu-dominated neighborhoods.
A group of over two dozen Indian Muslim scholars, in a recent joint message, appealed to their communities to strictly follow the lockdown and offer all prayers at their homes. They also asked Muslims to refrain from organizing large parties held for breaking the fast and taraweeh, the long post-iftar congregational prayer offered in mosques. The lockdown in India, the world’s most draconian, has multiplied their troubles.
A group of over two dozen Indian Muslim scholars have appealed to their communities to strictly follow the lockdown and pray at home. They also asked Muslims to refrain from organizing large parties held for breaking the fast and “taraweeh,” the extended evening prayers traditionally held in mosques.
“Families should use this unprecedented situation for spiritual guidance and purification,” they said, while asking local volunteers and elders to look after the needy and destitute.“Families should use this unprecedented situation for spiritual guidance and purification,” they said, while asking local volunteers and elders to look after the needy and destitute.
India’s 200 million Muslims, 14% of the population, are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation, but they are also the poorest.India’s 200 million Muslims, 14% of the population, are the largest minority group in the Hindu-majority nation, but they are also the poorest.
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Associated Press writers Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kathy Gannon in Karachi, Pakistan, Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul, Turkey, contributed to this report. Associated Press writers Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Mohammed Farooq in Karachi, Pakistan; Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India; and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul, Turkey, and Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.