People Prefering Local Mosques to Eidgahs For Eid Prayers

Hyderabad: The idea of offering ‘Namaz-e-Eid-ul-Fitr’ in the local mosques is gaining ground in the State with spurt in Covid cases. Eid-ul-Fitr, which caps the month-long Ramzan fasting, is just a few days away and there is concern and anxiety among Muslims about the Id prayers which is usually offered at Eidgahs or in open grounds.

The government, according to Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, is unlikely to permit large congregations of devotees for Id prayers this time in view of the restrictions imposed by courts on public gatherings. Home Minister Syed Mehmood Ali, is stated to have informed Owaisi that a decision disallowing prayers in Eidgahs will be taken shortly.

The Majlis leader has urged ulemas to explore the possibility of offering more than one congregational Eid prayers in the local mosques by observing social distancing and wearing of face masks. Breaking from the usual practice, Owaisi addressed online the Friday congregation the other day at Makkah Masjid as part of the ‘Youmul Quran’ programme. He advised Muslims to offer the Id prayers in their respective locality mosques by following Covid appropriate behaviour and not to gather at Eidgahs. He also made an impassioned plea to desist from shaking hands or embracing one another by way of Id greetings.

Meanwhile, the city is seeing a jump in online shopping with the government extending the night curfew for another week. Usually, Ramzan shopping peaks towards the end of the fasting month with people flocking to markets after ‘iftar’. But with restrictions in place, there is a shift in consumer behaviour. Many people are preferring online shopping of clothes and other Id necessities.

Some garment shops have started posting their cloth stocks on various social media groups making it easy for consumers to select. Better bargains and home delivery is another thing that is driving online shopping this Ramzan.

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