Re-opening of Mosques postponed |04 May 2020
The National Muslim Council of Seychelles (NMCS) has announced that it is postponing a decision as to when the Mosques in Seychelles will open for daily prayers and also the weekly Friday congregational prayer.
Following an extraordinary meeting of the Council on Saturday, the Council chairperson, Imam Idris Yusuf, declared that the Council members were unanimous in reaching this regrettable but necessary decision.
The decision comes in the wake of the government announcement that indoor religious activities could resume from Monday May 4 when the restrictions imposed for the past few weeks will be gradually lifted in phases. However the Public Health Authority has imposed several conditions which must be met before various types of religious activities could carry on.
Imam Idris explained that Islamic religious rituals and practices were very different from other religions and that these could not meet the compliance requirements of the Public Health Authority. There were many challenges that had to be overcome including changes to physical infrastructure of ablution and prayer areas aside from physical distancing among others.
Muslims have 5 times daily prayers which are obligatory. These prayers are also congregational although in terms of numbers, they do not come anywhere close to the 500 worshippers who regularly attend the Friday prayer.
Citing one specific example, Imam Idris pointed out that Islamic prayer involves prostration, where the forehead and nose as well as the palm of the hand touch the ground; this is an integral part of the act of worship. This in itself poses a huge risk as the carpeted mosque floor provides fertile ground for retention and spread of dangerous viruses and in the context of COVID-19 is certainly not acceptable.
The Council chairman agreed that devout worshippers would be hugely disappointed and dismayed by the decision.
Imam Idris said he, like other Council members, deeply regretted it, especially coming in the middle of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan when Muslims engage in additional prayers particularly at night.
Imam Idris noted that Seychelles was not alone in facing this unprecedented challenge in living memory. Many countries faced mosque lockdowns including importantly Islam’s holiest mosques in Mecca and Madina which are usually thronged by millions but which since the outbreak of the pandemic are virtually deserted except only for workers who are permitted to enter and pray there.
Imam Idris also clarified that the decision was very much in keeping with Islamic principles of keeping away from a place of worship if it presented a known danger of any sort including personal and public health.
The National Muslim Council of Seychelles will be reviewing the situation closely but does not expect any positive change immediately. The Council regrets that the outdoor performance of Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the end of Ramadan (around May 24) will also have to be foregone this year.
Meanwhile Imam Idris has called on Muslims in Seychelles to continue praying at home with the family and to cooperate with the authorities including Muslim religious leaders during these very trying times.
The Council expects to issue a further announcement as soon as there is any further development.
Press release from the National Muslim Council of Seychelles