Virus dampens global Eid spirit
LOCKDOWN: USUAL FESTIVITIES BANNED TO LIMIT SPREAD
Infections more than quadrupled since start of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.
Muslims worldwide began marking a sombre Eid al-Fitr yesterday, many under coronavirus lockdown, but lax restrictions offer respite to worshippers in some countries despite fears of sky-rocketing infections.
The three-day festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is traditionally celebrated with mosque prayers, family feasts and shopping for new clothes, gifts and sweet treats.
But this year, the celebration is overshadowed by the fast-spreading coronavirus, with many countries tightening lockdown restrictions after a partial easing during Ramadan led to a sharp spike in infections.
Further dampening the festive spirit, many countries – from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, Turkey and Syria – have banned mass prayer gatherings, a festival highlight, to limit the spread of the disease.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, began a five-day, round-the-clock curfew from Saturday after infections more than quadrupled since the start of Ramadan to over 70 000 – the highest in the Gulf.
Mecca’s Grand Mosque has been almost devoid of worshippers since March, with a stunning emptiness enveloping the sacred Kaaba – the large cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims around the world pray.
But yesterday, an imam stood on a podium while security forces, some wearing masks, stood between rows of worshippers gathering before the Kaaba to perform Eid prayers – their prayer mats placed in well-spaced arcs.
At Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina, prayers were not permitted inside, although the site is expected to reopen after the Eid holiday.
At dawn, small scuffles broke out between Israeli security forces and worshippers gathering around the mosque, although prayers went ahead outside.
In Gaza, Hamas authorities allowed prayers in mosques despite the enclave’s first coronavirus death on Saturday, but worshippers mostly wore masks and placed their mats far apart.
“Eid is not Eid with the atmosphere of corona – people feel a sense of fear,” worshipper Akram Taher said.
Muslims across Asia have thronged markets for festival shopping, flouting coronavirus guidelines and even police attempts to disperse large crowds.
“For over two months my children were homebound,” said Ishrat Jahan at a Rawalpindi market in the Pakistan.
“This feast is for the kids, and if they can’t celebrate it with new garments, there is no point in us working so hard.”