UAE cancels public prayers and sends aid to Iran to fight the pandemic

As of yesterday, public prayers in all places of worship are forbidden within the Emirates. In further efforts to squash the calamitous COVID-19, the resourceful nation sent two aid planes holding over 32 metric tons of medical supplies, including thousands of gloves, surgical masks, and protective equipment.

Starting this week, prayers in mosques, churches and temples are suspended for the minimal duration of one month, with Emirati authorities calling on their people to comply with the directive in continues efforts to fight the coronavirus. Within a broader initiative and an understanding that the disease transcends all borders, the UAE opted for solidarity and regional unity by providing medical aid to Iran. 

As one of the hardest-hit countries by the epidemic, Iran is slashed with recording-breaking death rates, intensified by a lack of infrastructure and medical necessities. 

 

A fatwa to pray from home

 

In a recently declared fatwa, “Anyone who suffers from or is suspected to have this disease is forbidden by the Sharia to be in public places, or to go to the mosque to attend congregational prayers, Friday, or Eid.” However, as the measures intensify, the law applies to all worshippers, regardless of their relationship with the pandemic. 

This is the latest shutdown within a flurry of closures for public places across the Emirates, and beyond, from tourist attractions to beaches, cinemas, gyms and parks.

 

Plane of solidarity

 

 

The first carrier was sent on March 3rd, in a joint effort between the UAE and the World Health Organisation (WHO). They teamed up to successfully dispatch 7.5 tons of medical supplies, in addition to on-the-ground experts with the mission of training 15,000 local healthcare workers.

“The UAE’s efforts in carrying out a second medical aid flight to Iran are consistent with our country’s founding humanitarian principles, which guide our belief that providing life-saving assistance to those experiencing distress is essential to serving the common good,” Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem bint Ibrahim Al-Hashemy announced.

These two carries follows the UAE’s Homeland of Humanity Initiative, wherein 215 people of different nationalities from China’s Hubei Province to Abu Dhabi in early March. The evacuated are currently receiving the necessary medical attention before returning home.

 

 

The UAE’s cooperation with its neighbours and precautionary measures at home strengthens global efforts to curb the virus’ spread.