Virus fight: Jinja Muslims turn to radios for prayers
Mar 21, 2020
This follows a directive by President Museveni in which he ordered for the closure of religious centres as a preventive measures against coronavirus.
JINJA - Muslim leaders in Jinja district have resorted to holding prayers over the radio.
This follows a directive by President Yoweri Museveni in which he ordered for the temporally closure of all religious centres as one of the preventive measures against the deadly coronavirus (CODIV-19).
Since they were no longer required to congregate for prayers anymore, the Jinja district Khadhi, Sheikh Ahmada Izzudin Kibirige, took to the fm radio station to preach the word of Allah.
Kibirige told listeners that Museveni's directive was within the Islamic teachings in case of any emergence such as disease outbreak as is the case with COVID-19, which he referred to as ‘Kawumpuli'.
He clarified that the closure of worshiping centres did not stop followers from praying. He said they should pray from their homes and places of work.
Whereas mosques remained closed Jinja town as directed, some followers at Masigid Huda along Nizam road in Jinja town opted to pray from the verandah.
New Vision found some while having Wuthu within the premises before they resorted to praying from the verandah.
However, Sheikh Uthuman Badru Timuntu, the county sheikh of Jinja west, said they had only left the toilets and water taps open to allow those who wished to have their Wuthu from the premises but not to pray within the mosque premises.
"We don't want to be seen as if we are undermining the presidential directive regarding gatherings. This is why we took to the radio stations as leaders to show our followers that the ban is real," Timuntu explained.
Kibirige added that the ban was not only in Uganda but even in Saudi Arabia.
He urged Muslims and the entire public to follow the instructions and guidelines on how to prevent themselves from the virus.