Ramadan like never before
Disclosing this, an official spokesperson said that the government of Punjab with the objective of containing the human transmission of the virus has imposed restrictions on free movement of its residents as also has banned the congregations.
Ramadan like never before
The Spokesperson further said that the Punjab Government has appealed to meticulously adhere to the guidelines under which all Masjids/Dargahs/Imambaras and other religious institutions shall remain closed and there will be a complete prohibition of congregational prayers (Nimaz-e-Bajamaat) including the Jumma and Taraweeh prayers. People are advised to offer prayers from their respective houses only.
“All types of celebrations including Urs, public & private Iftar parties/functions, Dawat-e-Sehri and any other religious function involving assembly of devotees shall be strictly avoided” he added.
He said that public distribution of items like Juices, Sharbat or any other cooked food Items at the Masjid premises or their door to door distribution shall be strictly prohibited. Further eatery shops/Rehris shall not be allowed to be installed near the Masjid.
Ramadan like never before
He said that according the guidelines people should stay at home and strictly adhere to the social distancing norm of maintaining a distance of at least 1 metre from any other individual, including the relatives, friends, neighbors etc, at all times and during all days. He said that hugging for the purpose of celebrating and greeting the other person must be avoided. Even the handshakes should be avoided.
Ramadan like never before
Ramadan like never before
Now discussing across the world Days before the holy fasting month of Ramadan begins, the Islamic world is grappling with an untimely paradox of the new coronavirus pandemic: enforced separation at a time when socialising is almost sacred. The holiest month in the Islamic calendar is one of family and togetherness – community, reflection, charity and prayer. But with shuttered mosques, coronavirus curfews and bans on mass prayers from Senegal to Southeast Asia, some 1.8 billion Muslims are facing a Ramadan like never before.
Ramadan like never before
Across the Muslim world the pandemic has generated new levels of anxiety before Ramadan begins on
Saudi Arabia urged Muslims not to gather for prayers or socialise because of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the Gulf region
In Algeria, restaurant owners are wondering how to offer iftar to the needy when their premises are closed, while charities in Abu Dhabi that hold iftar for low-paid South Asian workers are unsure what to do with mosques now closed.
In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, some people will be meeting loved ones remotely this year. Prabowo, who goes by one name, plans to host Eid al-Fitr, the celebration at the end of the fasting month, via the online meeting site Zoom instead of flying home.
Ramadan like never before
Scarcity of Dry fruits :
Dates and dry fruits will be scarce during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on April 24, due to negligible imports and cargoes being stuck at ports. Wholesale prices of almond, cashew and walnut have increased by up to 15 per cent compared to a month ago, said traders.
Ramadan accounts for 30 per cent of the total annual sales of dates in India, which imports 125,000 tonnes of dates from Iran, Iraq, Oman, Algeria and Dubai every year.
“Import of dates has reduced due to the lockdown and transportation remains a challenge. This has impacted 30 per cent of our sales,” said Rajal Ashar, partner at Navi Mumbai-based dates trading firm Bait Al Tamur Co,which sells under the brand name Date Crown.
Ashar said cargo movement at ports is slow. “All our three units in the country are closed since the past 25 days. We are just selling whatever we have in storage,” he said.
Nuts and dried fruits trade, which depends 99 per cent on imports, is also suffering. Gunjan Jain, managing director of Noida, Uttar Pradesh-based VKC Nuts said there are an estimated 3,000 containers with over 60,000 tonnes of cargo waiting for clearance at ports.
“This complete disruption in supply chain processes has created an artificial shortage of almonds, walnuts and cashews ahead of the Ramadan and at a time when people need to eat healthy foods to boost their immunity,” he said. In the past month, almond prices in wholesale have increased by 15 per cent to Rs 750 a kg, cashew prices have risen 10 per cent Rs 650 a kg and walnut kernel by 5 per cent to Rs 1,000 a kg, he said.
Sheetal Tejwani, owner of Navi Mumbai-based Swati Dry Fruits, said she has stocks lying at her cold storage. “But there is uncertainty all over and I am not sure whether sales would at all happen in this scenario,” she said.
Hasmukh Thakker, owner of Variety Dry Fruit Shop in Secunderbad in Telangana, said he has old stock in his shop, but expects the fresh stock to be costlier. “In the wholesale market, prices are up by 5-15 per cent. At the retail end, it may go up by 30-40 per cent,” he said.
Kunal Nandu, owner of Mangalam Dry Fruits in Mumbai’s Masjid Bunder Road, said the sudden lockdown has left him with large stock of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, raisins and apricots in his shop. “Everything is closed here. Some of the smaller vegetable shops are selling little bit of dry fruits. People will buy those during the Ramadan.”
The man in news President Donald Trump said Saturday he hopes US Muslims will be held to the same social distancing standards during Ramadan as Christians at Easter, when a number of faithful chafed against coronavirus-related restrictions on large gatherings.
The US president made the comments after being asked to defend a retweet of a conservative commentator who seemed to question whether Muslims would be treated with the same severity as Christians who broke social distancing rules.
"I would say that there could be a difference," Trump said during his daily coronavirus press conference. "And we'll have to see what will happen. Because I've seen a great disparity in this country."
"They go after Christian churches but they don't tend to go after mosques," he said.
Ramadan, which begins at sunset on Thursday, falls a week and a half after Easter, when some Christians bucked public health regulations to attend illicit services.
Asked whether he thought imams would refuse to follow social distancing orders, Trump responded: "No, I don't think that at all."
"I am somebody that believes in faith. And it matters not what your faith is. But our politicians seem to treat different faiths very differently."
Trump has been accused of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the past and one of his first acts upon entering office was to ban travelers from several Muslim-majority countries.
More than 700,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the United States, forcing religious communities across the country to shutter their doors.
The Islamic Society of North America, alongside Muslim medical experts, has urged the suspension of group prayers, among other gatherings.
Jewish Americans were likewise forced to turn traditional Passover seders into virtual affairs when the eight-day holiday began at sundown on April 8.
Despite similar measures taken across much of the Christian community, a Virginia pastor who continued to preach in defiance of stay-at-home rules died a week ago of coronavirus.
And pastors at two megachurches in Florida and Louisiana have been arrested on misdemeanor charges for flouting stay-at-home orders.
"The Christian faith is treated much differently than it was," Trump added on Saturday, "and I think it's treated very unfairly."
No comments:
Post a Comment