Another British mosque in Leeds has decided to close its doors and suspend all communal prayer activities to protect its members and ease pressure on the NHS in the second wave of COVID-19.
“We make this announcement in a time when the NHS has reached near-breaking point,” Leeds Grand Mosque said in a statement on its Facebook page, Yorkshire Evening Post reported.
“While London has been most strongly hit, the rest of the UK, including us in Leeds and Yorkshire, is projected to catch up with London in the following few days.
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“Based on our commitment in front of Allah, first and foremost, to the personal health and safety of all of you in our congregation, and everyone using the National Health Service… we have come to the decision to stop all communal activities at Leeds Grand Mosque, effective from Fajr prayer of Monday January 11th, 2021.”
Safety First
The decision, on January 10, followed a communication from the Director of Public Health at Leeds City Council urging the mosque leaders to consider the suspension of communal activities.
Another message came from the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) to Muslim places of worship stressing that the new variant still appears to disproportionately impact ethnic minorities.
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The mosque officials said that online services will continue, promising to review the suspension monthly.
“The suspension will be reviewed monthly and we will continue to provide you with updates regarding this unfolding situation. We will continue our online services and provide support to all those who need it in our precious congregation,” the statement added.
Islam has prescribed certain guidelines to deal with infectious disease outbreaks that affect a community, or even the entire world. COVID-19 is one such case in point.
Click here to read more about: What Are the Islamic Guidelines on Dealing with COVID-19?
Almost all major mosques in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hackney, Harrow, Haringey, Kensington, Leyton, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Westminster have closed their doors. The same applies to mosques in Cambridge and Woking.
The East London Mosque (ELM) also closed on January 6, with management vowing to review the decision.