Malé, Maldives – Former Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has urged the authorities to resume congregational prayers in the greater Malé region today.
Dr Shaheem said this in a tweet regarding ongoing discussions by the Islamic Ministry to resume congregational prayers.
While congregational prayers were discontinued due to the surge in Covid-19 cases on May 12, mosques were closed on May 26. Mosques were reopened for individual prayers on Wednesday.
The current Islamic Minister Dr Ahmed Zahir Ali has said that the decision to reopen mosques fully for all prayers is not decided yet. However, he said that the hope is to start congregational prayers.
To this, Dr Shaheem recommended opening the mosques since the Covid-19 situation has deescalated significantly and keeping the mosques closed is not a good thing.
Reportedly, some mosques are holding congregational prayers in the greater Malé area and are being investigated by Islamic Ministry.
Islamic Ministry said that they will take action against any Imams registered with the ministry who lead Friday prayers in congregation.
They said this after some mosques held congregational prayers on Friday. The Islamic Ministry is investigating these two mosques and others who held congregational prayers in this period where it is banned due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. The ministry reports that civilians are responsible for these actions.
