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Rabat – The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) is asking people in charge of mosques in the European country to keep prayer venues closed during Ramadan to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
Le Monde quoted CFCM on April 20, citing its recommendations for Muslims in France as Ramadan is just a few days away.
French outlet La Provence is expecting the first day of Ramadan on April 24, but Muslim authorities will officially announce the start of the holy month on April 23 after the moon sighting.
Since the Ramadan atmosphere will be unique this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CFCM prepared a set of recommendations for Muslims in the country to follow during the holy month.
“The CFCM calls on Muslim officials to keep the mosques closed and urges the faithful to perform their prayers at home until further notice. It is the only responsible attitude that conforms to the principles and values of our religion in this epidemic context,” the CFCM said.
The CFCM asked families to perform daily prayers and Taraweeh, which are extra evening prayers, as a group.
“This will allow them to take full advantage of group prayer metirens,” the statement said.
CFCM regretted that mosques will not be able to host iftar (breaking fast) events and charity for vulnerable people in the Muslim community.
“It is very likely that these meals could not take place this year in their usual formats,” they said.
The CFCM, however, explained that distributing meals to the needy as an alternative to events at mosques should be discussed with French authorities.
The Muslim community in France is estimated between five and nine million.
To date, France has reported 119,151 COVID-19 cases, 40,657 recoveries, and 21,340 deaths.
