ISLAMABAD-The mosques are likely to be the hotspots of COVID-19 as majority of them witnessed huge number of worshipers with no precautionary measures on Friday here in Islamabad.
On the first Friday after the agreement between the government and clerics, a huge violation of SOPs was seen in majority of mosques in Islamabad. However, very few of the mosques including Faisal Masjid completely followed the SOPs and the prayer was performed with no carpet on the floor while maintaining social distancing during the Friday prayer.
The crowded mosques and absence of complete precautionary measures during the Friday congregation in capital has also raised questions over the status of the agreement between the government and the religious clerics of the country.
Despite the warnings of health experts, the government is yet to review its decision regarding permission of conditional prayer at mosques and the religious clerics instead of playing their role of convincing the masses to stay at home are warning the government of protest in case of ban on religious gatherings.
Meanwhile, talking to The Nation Dr IntikhabAlam hailing from Peshawar said that the government should have a sense of difference between the health issue and religious issue, adding that the COVID-19 was a health issue that is why the government should have a consultation with the health experts rather than involving the religious clerics.
He stated that the agreement was inked between both the sides but none of the sides will take the responsibility if the pandemic reached its worst stage.
It must be noted that on one side the worshipers have not been allowed to enter Mecca’s mosque nor the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, since Saudi Arabia has suspended prayers at mosques after the outbreak of COVID-19, on the other side the religious clerics have been asking the people to come to mosques on daily basis which according to the health experts will be catastrophic for the country in upcoming days.
Unlike the rest of the Muslim countries where the religious clerics on the directives of the governments are using their speakers to remind people to stay at home and pray at home, the clerics in Pakistan besides asking the people to come to mosques have also been blackmailing the government to remove ban from religious gatherings.