Muslims mark another Eid under shadow of pandemic
The holiday comes as many countries batle the Delta variant, prompting some to impose new restrictions or issue appeals for people to avoid congregating and follow safety protocols
Muslims around the world were observing on Tuesday yet another major Islamic holiday in the shadow of the pandemic and amid growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Eid Al Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” is typically marked by communal prayers, large social gatherings and, for many, slaughtering of livestock and giving meat to the needy. This year, the holiday comes as many countries batle the Delta variant first identified in India, prompting some to impose new restrictions or issue appeals for people to avoid congregating and follow safety protocols.
In Egypt, Essam Shaban travelled to his southern hometown of Sohag to spend Eid Al Adha with his family. He said ahead of the start of the holiday that he planned to pray at a mosque there on Tuesday while taking precautions such as bringing his own prayer rug and wearing a mask.
“We want this Eid to pass by peacefully without any infections,” he said. “We must follow instructions.”
Shaban had been looking forward to pitching in with his brothers to buy a buffalo to slaughter, going door-to-door to give some of the meat to the poor and to the traditional festive meal later in the day with his extended family.
“It’s usually boisterous with laughter and bickering with the kids,” he said. “It’s great.” But others will be without loved ones. Iran imposed a week-long lockdown on the capital, Tehran, and the surrounding region as the country struggles with another surge in the coronavirus pandemic, state media reported. The lockdown began on Tuesday.
Not everyone is imposing new restrictions. Indonesia marked a grim Eid Al Adha amid a devastating new wave of coronavirus cases in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Large gatherings were banned and tougher travel restrictions imposed. Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, also an influential Islamic cleric, appealed to people to perform holiday prayers at home with their families.
“Don’t do crowds,” Amin said in televised remarks ahead of the start of the holiday. “Protecting oneself from the COVID-19 pandemic is obligatory.”
In Malaysia, measures have been tightened ater a sharp spike in infections despite a national lockdown since June 1 — people are banned from travelling back to their hometowns or crossing districts to celebrate. House visits and customary trips to graveyards are also banned.
Healthy worshippers are allowed to gather for prayers in mosques, with strict social distancing and no physical contact. Ritual animal sacrifice is limited to mosques and other approved areas.
Lockdowns will severely curtail Eid Al Adha festivities in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two largest cities.
Sydney resident Jihad Dib, a New South Wales state government lawmaker, said the city’s Muslims were sad but understood why they would be confined to their homes with no visitors allowed.
“It’s going to be the first Eid in my life I don’t hug and kiss my mum and dad,” Dib told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Melbourne Muslims face their second Eid Al Adha in lockdown in as many years. The sudden announcement of the Melbourne lockdown last week will also deal a huge financial blow to retailers who had stocked up on food ahead of what they thought would be usual Eid festivities.
The World Health Organisation has reported that COVID-19 deaths had climbed ater a period of decline. The reversal has been atributed to low vaccination rates, relaxed mask rules and other precautions, and the delta variant.
In Bangladesh, authorities have allowed an eight-day pause in the country’s strict lockdown for the holiday that health experts say could be dangerous.
In India, where Eid Al Adha starts on Wednesday, Tahir Qureshi would always go with his father for prayers and then to visit family and friends. His father died in June ater contracting the virus during a surge that devastated the country, and the thought of having to spend the holiday without him is heartbreaking.