AMMAN
— Jordanians eagerly flocked to mosques on foot for Friday prayers as COVID-19
cases continue to decline. The opening represents a glimpse of how more public
spaces may look in coming weeks as the government moves to loosen restrictions.
اضافة اعلان
Mosques
welcomed worshippers for the first Friday prayer during Ramadan after pandemic
restrictions lasted for the past six Fridays, starting March 12 and finally
easing April 23.
During
a break from the all-day Friday lockdown, citizens were allowed to perform the
prayer between 12:20pm and 1:20pm, as Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs,
Mohammad Khalaileh, announced earlier on Thursday.
Preventive
measures, according to health officials, decreased the rate of positivity to
11.50 percent on Thursday compared to 13.03 percent on Wednesday. On Friday,
the Kingdom recorded 1,677 infections and 40 COVID-19 related deaths. The drop
comes after the second wave of the pandemic led to spikes in death and infections
across the country. Last week, Jordan recorded the
third-highest number of weekly cases and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean,
according to the World Health Organizations’ COVID-19
Weekly Update.
According
to an imam in Amman, Muslims “have been on pins and needles for weeks, waiting
for the decision of reopening mosques for Friday prayer.”
He
emphasized that all of the neighborhood’s residents attended the Friday prayer.
“No one defaulted, showing that this ban actually boosted and increased the
number of attendees,” said the leader of prayers, who preferred to be unnamed.
The
imam also said that “mosques are the locations that most abide by safety
instructions, even more than markets or any institutions.” He said that all
precautionary measures are followed in mosques, including “face masks,
sanitizing and social distancing” while mosque goers bring their own prayer
mats.
In addition
to being a religious practice, Friday prayer has a significant social value for
attendees. “People come to certain nearby mosques to meet acquaintances as
neighbors and friends to communicate and connect as a society,” explained the
imam.
Returning
to mosques is meaningful to citizens after weeks of bans. “Accompanying
youngsters and children for Friday prayer in mosques brings indescribable
happiness and relief,” said Suhaib Abu Samaha in an interview with
Jordan News.
“Mosques
aid in strengthening faith and connection with God, and missing the reverence
is a sure thing” during the lockdowns, the 59-year-old said. “But we also
create such an atmosphere when praying with family and beloveds at home as a
group.”
Friday
prayer is a long-standing element of many Jordanians’ weekly routines. “Before
the COVID-19 crisis, I used to take all family members, males and females,
young and old, to pray, but now the number has shrunk,” said 38-year-old Ameen
Rafiq.
Rafiq
said that “Our prayer, abiding by a full discipline in movements and words,
reflects our commitment to regulations.”
The
newly allowed Friday prayers represent the first step in loosening restrictions
as cases continue to drop. The Kingdom
will witness more relaxed lockdown measures in the coming weeks, including
allowing more movement of people and reopening mosques for Isha and Tarawih
prayers (voluntary group evening prayers in Ramadan), announced Minister of
State for Media Affairs and government spokesperson, Sakher Dudin, on Thursday.
Additionally,
spokesman for the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs told local media that
the health protocol for prayers will be reviewed, and that a 10-minute sermon
and hour-long period for prayer is sufficient.
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