Closing prayer gap in mosques, group says Perlis move 'popular but unwise'

 

The Perlis religious authorities had made a popular but unwise move to normalise the congregational prayer formation at all mosques in the state, according to Muslim-NGO Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association (Aswaja).

Aswaja president Zamihan Mat Zin said the government must be responsible for its decision to lift Covid-19 prevention restrictions on social distancing among congregants in the mosque amid fresh concerns over the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant

"So the move may be popular but it does not help the (federal) government to control the spread of Covid-19. It is a popular move and that (popularity) is what they want.

"But they have to pay a high price. That means they have to be fully responsible if there were to be any new Omicron infections," Zamihan said.

"They can't blame the Health Ministry or the National Security Council because the state religious authorities are seen as forging ahead with their solo decision," he told Malaysiakini.

Last Thursday, Perlis Crown Prince Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail –as chairperson of the state's Islam and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs) – announced that the new ruling will apply to all state mosques from Jan 8.

He said the new ruling will reduce social distancing requirement from one metre between each congregant to the size of an average prayer mat when placed side by side, with no physical contact among the individuals.

Full capacity

The return to full capacity will be introduced alongside other existing procedures, including wearing a mask, ablutions to be performed at home and temperature recording upon entry.

In Johor, the one-metre social distance between congregants was reduced to half.

Aswaja president Zamihan Mat Zin

Further, Zamihan said, despite Perlis recording a low number of cases, there are still concerns over an unexpected spread of Covid-19 infections.

De facto Religious Affairs Minister Idris Ahmad said yesterday that the decisions of the state governments on social distance during prayers in mosques had taken into account views from both Health Ministry officials and religious authorities.

He said while it is the federal government's intention to close the congregational prayer gap in mosques across Malaysia, the final decision lies with state religious authorities based on the current situation.

Follow government's lead

Meanwhile, commenting on the situation in Johor, Zamihan said the half-metre distance is still more acceptable than Perlis.

However, he insisted that both states should have followed the federal government's lead on any Covid-19 SOPs, given that these go beyond religious matters to public health and security concerns.

"Decisions by these two states can still be cancelled via a joint decision of the Health Ministry and National Security Council.

"We should be united in coming up with the SOP and it must be followed by all states," Zamihan added. - Mkini