Saudi Arabia to open mosques for Friday prayers after May 31
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, decided that it will open mosques in the kingdom for weekly Friday prayers after May 31, till June 20 except in Makkah. The move comes in line with the kingdom’s efforts of relaxing the lockdown measures.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said the mosques will be open for the public for weekly prayers from May 31 till June 20.
A circular issued to mosque staff by Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Asheikh, the Islamic affairs minister, said windows and doors must be open at all times and copies of the Qur’an must be temporarily withdrawn.
“Worshippers must keep two meters apart and leave a row of space empty between each row,” he said.
He further added that people should strictly wear facemasks at all times and bring their prayer mats with them while also performing ablution at home. However, entry of children below 15 years age will be restricted and the Imam will have to make sure that there is no overcrowding while people are entering and exiting the mosque.
Water coolers and the distribution of food and drinks are not permitted, as well as incense and miswak, which is used to clean teeth. Mosques must also close all toilets and places of ablution.
Smaller mosques can open 15 minutes before the call to prayer and should close 10 minutes after they finish.
Mosques with larger crowds can open 20 minutes before prayers and should close 20 minutes after they finish, and the sermon should not last more than 15 minutes.
The Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which attract millions of travelers from around the world, will remain suspended until further notice, the ministry said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor gets bail in bank fraud case; to walk out of jail after four years
Mumbai, Apr 19: A special court here on Friday granted bail to Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor in the Rs 466.51 crore bank fraud case, paving the way for him to walk out of jail after four years.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kapoor in March 2020 in a money laundering case, and he has been booked in eight cases related to fraud at the bank.
The banker has now secured bail in all the cases.
Kapoor's lawyer Rahul Agarwal said they were trying to complete the bail formalities to facilitate his release as early as possible.
The court has granted bail to Kapoor in the CBI's case against him and Avantha Group promoter Gautam Thapar for allegedly indulging in criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery for diversion of public money to the tune of Rs 466.51 crore.
