Eid prayers to be held inside mosques this year

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Worshippers’ safety first priority: official

KUWAIT CITY, June 10: The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Farid Al-Amadi, said the Eid Al-Fitr prayers this year will be held inside the mosques in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, keeping in mind the safety of worshipers, reports Al-Rai daily. Amadi said in a statement: “Eid prayers in the squares is a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that he wanted the worshippers to emulate, because he did not pray in the mosque except during rainy days or if there was an excuse.”

However, the Ministry of Interior in order to provide security and safety for worshippers, a decision has been taken to limit Eid prayers inside the mosques in order to protect the lives of worshippers. “We have made arrangements with the Interior Ministry to provide security for worshippers,” he said, noting that “security conditions in the region are not stable and the threats remain, especially since it is very difficult to provide security for worshippers in open areas.” He said, “there are proposals for Eid prayers to be held in some institutions that have walled courtyards and gates which allow us to control the process of entry and exit of worshippers.” “We are called upon to revive the Sunnah, but the safety of the worshippers and their lives is the first priority and this is legitimate according to scholars,” he added.

On the issue of the pilgrimage for the Bedoun, Amadi said “The minister of Awqaf has announced the Saudi authorities have approved 1,000 Bedoun for Hajj this year.” He said the approval came upon the request of the Awqaf which was sent in early December 2017 to enable the Bedoun to perform Hajj this year. Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr Fahad Al-Afasi has issued a ministerial decision to exempt all Kuwaiti and GCC citizens from the condition of having valid university qualifications to work in religious professions, reports Al-Anba daily quoting informed sources.

They said this decision may pave way for young people to be appointed in imam positions, especially since it states that those who memorize 15 parts of the Quran will be accepted. In this regard, Assistant Undersecretary for Mosque Affairs Eng Dawood Al-Asousi clarified that Kuwaitis and GCC citizens without valid qualifications were earlier admitted to work in religious professions but they had to memorize the entire Quran. However, this memorization text has been reduced to 15 parts to facilitate the admission process of imam and muezzin professions.

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