Friday prayers across Middle East overshadowed by coronavirus fears

In Mecca, Islam’s holiest site empty after reopening following disinfection; in Iraq, for first time since 2003 no one delivered the sermon of top Shiite cleric

An aerial view shows an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque, on March 6, 2020. (Bandar ALDANDANI/AFP)
An aerial view shows an empty white-tiled area surrounding the Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque, on March 6, 2020. (Bandar ALDANDANI/AFP)

AFP — From Jerusalem to Mecca, Muslims across the Middle East held Friday prayers under the shadow of the new coronavirus, with some gatherings cancelled and others subdued because of the deadly outbreak.

The highly contagious disease is believed to be transmitted through close contact and authorities globally have moved to restrict large gatherings, including public prayers.

In Mecca, Islam’s holiest site was uncrowded after reopening on Friday following disinfection.

“The fact that it is empty is very scary,” an Egyptian worshiper who has lived in Mecca for more than 20 years told AFP.

“I had a very strange and difficult feeling as I was headed to the mosque. I felt deprived of the Kaaba,” he said.

The area around the Kaaba — a large black cube structure inside Mecca’s Grand Mosque — was closed Thursday for sterilization.

Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque normally attract hundreds of thousands of worshipers, while this week only tens of thousands attended.

The mosque’s imam prayed for an end to the epidemic during his sermon, while praising Saudi Arabia’s decision to suspend the year-round umrah pilgrimage over fears of the new coronavirus.

“God, I seek refuge in you from the calamity and the epidemic,” said Sheikh Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani.

Regional epicenter

In Iran, which has the most COVID-19 cases in the region, authorities have faced accusations of mismanaging the response to the outbreak.

In total 4,747 cases have been reported in the country, with 124 deaths.

Authorities cancelled weekly prayers in Tehran and provincial capitals.

In Iraq, prayers were cancelled in the holy Shiite city of Karbala, home of the mausoleum of the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

For the first time since 2003 no one delivered the sermon of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest authority for millions of Shiite Muslims.

A firefighter disinfects a traditional shopping center to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in northern Tehran, Iran, Friday, March, 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

In the city of Najaf, however, campaigning by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr forced authorities to re-open the Imam Ali mausoleum, which had been closed for disinfection.

The first new coronavirus case in Iraq was identified in Najaf, which attracts millions of Iranian pilgrims annually.

The Holy Land

In the Palestinian territories, the first 16 COVID-19 cases were confirmed Thursday, with a further 21 reported so far in Israel.

At Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam on the Temple Mount, weekly prayers proceeded despite the Palestinian Authority announcing a state of emergency Thursday evening.

A young man wearing a protective mask as a measure of protection against the coronavirus COVID-19 walks in front of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, ahead of the Friday prayers, on March 6, 2020. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

The mosque is managed by the Jordan Waqf (religious organisation), but entrances are controlled by Israel — which has banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people.

Inside the mosque was full but the large open spaces outside — usually filled with people — were empty. A number of worshipers wore face masks.

“This Friday the number of worshipers is less than last week,” said Ammar Juwalis after praying.

“It is required of us to pray each Friday. We are trying to be careful about corona,” the 35-year-old said.

Jerusalem’s Old City was unusually quiet at Friday lunchtime, an AFP journalist said, with only a few tourists wandering around, some wearing masks.

In Bethlehem, a Palestinian city about 10 kilometers (six miles) south of Jerusalem, authorities closed the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

The Palestinian territories’ first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in a Bethlehem hotel Thursday, after a group of Greek tourists visited.

Israeli authorities have banned tourist buses and visitors from Bethlehem from entering Jerusalem.

At Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, new restrictions mean than only 5,000 people can visit at a time.

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