In shadow of coronavirus, Muslims face a Ramadan like never before
13:30, 20/04/2020, MondayU: Update: 13:37, 20/04/2020, Monday
REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing a protective face mask amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) buys traditional Ramadan lanterns, called "fanous" at a stall, ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt, April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
‘ALL KINDS OF TOGETHERNESS MISSED’
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.
Mohamed Aslam, an engineer from India who lives in a three-bedroom apartment in downtown Abu Dhabi with 14 others is unemployed because of the coronavirus. With his apartment building under quarantine after a resident tested positive, he has been relying on charity for food.
In Senegal, the plan is to continue charity albeit in a limited way. In the beachside capital of Dakar, charities that characteristically hand out "Ndogou", baguettes slathered with chocolate spread, cakes, dates, sugar and milk to those in need, will distribute them to Koranic schools rather than on the street.
Meanwhile 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, said he will host Eid al-Fitr, the celebration at the end of the fasting month, via the online meeting site Zoom instead of flying home.
"I worry about the coronavirus," he said. "But all kinds of togetherness will be missed. No iftar together, no praying together at the mosque, and not even gossiping with friends.”