Mosques in Belgium will remain closed during the Festival of Breaking the Fast at the end of the Ramadan, the Muslim Executive of Belgium announced.
The Festival, also known as Eid al-Fitr, is a religious holiday that marks the end of the month-long fasting of Ramadan that is celebrated by Muslims worldwide.
After the new coronavirus (Covid-19) saw the Muslim Executive announcing measures for Ramadan under lockdown and mosques remaining closed, as well as a ban on meetings with groups of friends or family.
"Unfortunately, it is clear that the mosques cannot open their doors to the public during the feast of Eid Al-Fitr, which will take place on 23 and 24 May," the Executive stated in a press release.
"Additionally, gatherings of people in all other places remain forbidden at this time. Therefore, the Eid-prayer can only be performed at home, in a very limited circle. That means only the members of the family, living under the same roof," the Executive said.
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"Similarly, only the people living under the same roof can participate in the celebration, possibly with the four regular other people who, according to the National Security Council, each family has been able to receive under certain conditions since 10 May," it added.
The Muslim Executive has been meeting with the other religious institutions for several weeks, to be able to present a joint proposal to the authorities.
They have proposed 29 May or 5 June as a potential date for the reopening and the resumption of activities, under the conditions of 10 m² of floor space per person and limiting the number of people to maximum 100, but the final decision will be taken by the National Security Council.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
