Sunni Wakf in Kirkuk asks for the reopening of the mosques during Ramadan on conditions, which are the avoidance of making wudu at mosques and using the toilets of the mosques to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Sunni Wakf submitted a memorandum to the Crisis Cell in Kirkuk on Wednesday, April 22, in which it asks for the reopening of the mosques during Ramadan, according to the spokesperson of the Wakf, Samal Bazyani.
Samal explained, “to open the mosques, we have had a series of meetings with the Crisis Cell members and have asked for the reopening of the mosques during Ramadan on conditions of taking some measures, due to the pressure the preachers have put on us.”
He states that the Kirkuk Crisis Cell and local administration and the Joint Operations have supported their request, but have said that making such a decision is under the authority of the Council of Ministers’ Crisis Cell.
“We think that if the request is sent to Baghdad (Crisis Cell), then they will not approve it because Baghdad has a general perspective for the virus, but we know that Kirkuk is different than the majority of the Iraqi provinces in combating and containing the virus to a great degree,” he stated.
Mosques, Churches, Temples, and other religious places have been closed since mid-March as a part of the preventative measures against the spread of the virus, taken by both regional and federal government.
Kirkuk’s Sunni Wakf wants the mosques to be opened on a condition, which is allowing people to go to the mosques to perform their religious duties from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during which the Kirkuk Crisis Cell has lifted the curfew.
“We have asked not to use the toilets of the mosques and not to make wudu there as well as prohibting children and women from visiting the mosques, and with that, the prayer should not be significant.”
