Malaysia to allow mass prayers ahead of Eid as coronavirus cases fall

Malaysia will ease a ban on mass prayers in mosques, starting from Friday and ahead of this month’s Eid festival, Reuters writes with reference to the government of the country.

Photo: Reuters

The news follows last week’s re-opening of many businesses in Malaysia, which has a tally of 6,819 infections and 112 deaths. It comes ahead of the Eid holiday that ends the fasting month of Ramadan.

The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is among Malaysia’s federal territories which will allow prayers by congregations limited to 30 or fewer, said Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, the religious affairs minister.

“Even though worship in Islam is not confined only to mosques, it has a profound effect on the spiritual development of Muslims,” he told reporters on Thursday, in a reference to smaller prayer sites.

The measure excludes Malaysia’s 12 remaining states, which have their own laws on religious matters, but Zulkifli said they were free to adopt similar measures if they wished.

Mass prayers have been banned since around mid-March in a partial lockdown after more than 2,300 people were infected in the country’s biggest outbreak, following a religious gathering at a mosque attended by about 16,000 people.