Muslims brace up for limited congregational prayers

The Office of the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam has called for total discipline amongst the Muslim Community regarding the observance of the COVID-19 preventive protocols.

“It is the responsibility of the Ulama (scholars/leaders) to see to the enforcement of the protocols for the safety and protection of the people,” Sheikh Abdul Mummin Haroun, the Regional Chief Imam, advised.

Muslims across the country, for the first time in many weeks, would have the opportunity to congregate at their respective mosques on Friday, June 05, after the government lifted the ban on the social gathering.

The ban was necessitated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Ghana recording its first two confirmed cases on March 12, this year, and had since surpassed a case count of 8, 500 with 38 deaths.

Sheikh Haroun, in an interaction with the media, Kumasi, said obedience and submissiveness were cardinal tenets of Islam.

Therefore, the Muslim is expected not to do otherwise per the laid-down protocols, the Chief Imam cautioned.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in announcing the lifting of the ban on religious gatherings in his recent address to the nation, said 25 per cent attendance with a maximum number of one hundred (100) congregants, could worship at a time in church or the mosque.

This is to be done with a mandatory one-metre rule of social distancing between congregants, with a maximum duration of one hour for each service.

In addition to the mandatory wearing of nose masks, all persons at all times in churches and mosques must also register their names and contact details, while hand-washing facilities and sanitizers are to be provided for their use.

Sheikh Haroun said his Office was working with the relevant authorities to ensure that the requisite logistics needed to guarantee safe opening and operation of the mosques were available.

The Muslim Community, he said, was grateful to the President for listening to the pleas of religious leaders, assuring that they would work assiduously to protect their members.