Imams welcome Mamata's announcement to throw open religious places

Imams in Bengal on Friday welcomed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's decision to throw open religious places from June 1 but sought clarity on the announcement. Bengal Imams' Association Chairman Md Yahia told PTI that reopening of religious places, including mosques, was welcome, but it was not clear how the maximum limit of admitting 10 persons will be implemented.

"As things stand now only five persons can be inside a mosque during prayers since the coronavirus lockdown (began in March). In the entire Ramzan month, people prayed from their homes. Now the news of mosques being allowed to open from June 1 has reached the people and I am receiving phone calls. A larger nunber of people will now come to the mosque during prayer time from Monday. So how to deal with them?" he said. "We want the government to clearly specify in the next two days what is meant by throwing open (the religious places). Will it be restricted opening? How to enforce that?" Yahia said.

The association has 26,000 mosques under its fold. Shafique Qasmi, the imam of the city's largest mosque Nakhoda Masjid, said the chief minister took the "right decision" to open religious places but not allowing a congregation of more than 10 people.

"We will go by the government's advise, as in the past," he said. Michael Dutt of Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, an 18th-century Armenian Apostolic church in the city, too welcomed the decision. "The CM took the right step," he said.

The authorities of Dakshineswar Temple, the famed Kali temple in the city, and the Archbishop of Kolkata could not be contacted. "Temples, Gurudwaras, Mosques and all religious places in the state are closed. They will open from June 1 but not more than 10 people will be allowed at any given point of time. No assembly would be allowed in religious places," Banerjee announced.

Religious places have been closed across the country since the nationwide lockdown was imposed from March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus..

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