Senior Karnataka Congress leader CM Ibrahim has written a letter to Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa in which he has urged him to allow Muslims to gather for mass prayers at Masjids and Idgah maidans in the state on the occasion of Eid. In a letter dated May 13, Ibrahim has asked Yediyurappa to allow prayer assemblies till 1 pm on the occasion of Eid-ul Fitr during the Coronavirus lockdown.
The letter requested the Chief Minister to consult with medical experts regarding his request before taking a call.
CM Ibrahim, a close associate of former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote in his letter: “On behalf of the entire community, I would suggest that the government may take a decision by having due consultation with the medical experts to grant permission for Muslims on the day of Eid to offer prayers in the Idgah Maidan or Masjids from morning till 1 pm with all precautionary measures and safety norms.” He requested the CM to take a suitable decision to enable Muslims in the state to offer Idd prayers at Idgah Maidans or Mosques in their respective localities.
The request by the Congress leader received flak from various quarters as it was largely seen as an attempt to appease the minority community, even if it took to jeopardise the lives of many others during turbulent times of a global pandemic. It may be noted that the guidelines issued by the union home ministry on the lockdown state that religious congregations are prohibited in all zones in the entire country.
Karnataka Govt banned conducting congregational prayers in mosques during Ramzan
Earlier last month, Karnataka government announced that it was banning the five-time Namaz in mosques, Dargahs, Imam Baras during the month of Ramzan in view of coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The state government also decided to cancel the government-funded Dawat-e-Sahri or Iftar, the state-organised community feast during the religious month, in view of the highly-contagious Covid-19 outbreak.
Saudi Arabia imposes curfew during the Eid
It may be noted that Saudi Arabia, where the holiest sites for Muslims are located, has announced a 24-hour curfew for five days of Eid holidays to contain the spread of Coronavirus. According to the directives given by King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the curfew would be imposed from May 23 to May 27, following the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina are already under curfew, which was imposed on April 2. Saudi Arabia had earlier imposed 24-hour curfews on most towns and cities but eased them for the start of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr for the year 2020 will be observed on sundown of Saturday, May 23rd ending at sundown on Sunday, May 24th.
Muslims emerge as the trouble-maker during country’s fight against coronavirus
After the Tablighi Jamaat event undermined India’s fight against Coronavirus, the criticism not only of the Tablighi Jamaat but the Muslim community, on the whole, has seen an unprecedented upswing. In addition to the nuisance created by the Tablighi Jamaat members, Muslim mobs across the country are turning out to be quite a headache for the authorities in the fight against coronavirus. There have been innumerable incidents where Muslims have not only been caught flouting lockdown and social distancing orders by gathering at mosques to offer Namaz but have also been found guilty of conducting concerted attacks against health workers and policemen who have been risking their lives to limit the spread of the Chinese epidemic.
