Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday appealed to Muslim community to hold prayers, iftar and perform other rituals at home during Ramzan in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
"Holy month of Ramzan begins on April 24. All religious leaders, religious and social organisations have together decided and made an appeal to the Muslim community to hold prayers, Iftar and perform other rituals at home itself while maintaining social distancing. The Muslim community has itself taken this decision, just like they took for Shab e-Barat," he told news agency ANI.
Naqvi also stressed that health workers, security forces, administrative officers, sanitation workers, who are on the frontlines, leading the battle against Covid-19 pandemic, should be "respected" and not "insulted".
Earlier on April 16, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had directed state waqf boards to ensure strict implementation of lockdown and social distancing guidelines during the holy month of Ramzan. At a meeting via video conferencing, Naqvi asked the state waqf boards’ officials to create awareness among people to offer prayers and perform other religious rituals like “iftar (breaking of fast)” during Ramzan, which begins on April 24 or 25, staying inside their homes.
More than seven lakh registered mosques, eidgahs, imambadas, dargahs and other religious and social institutions come under state waqf boards across the country. The Central Waqf Council is the regulatory body of state waqf boards in India.
(Inputs from Agencies)
