Attendance of Friday namaz in Chechen mosques drops

After the Mufti's call to people at risk not to visit mosques for coronavirus threat, the collective namaz (prayer) in Grozny on Friday was less crowded.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 16, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Russia recommended, because of the threat of coronavirus spread, to shorten Friday prayers in mosques and imposing restrictions on the attendance thereof. Muftiyates of a number of regions followed the recommendation, but in Chechnya, they limited themselves to calls for hygiene. But after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Chechnya, the Mufti, Salakh Mezhiev urged elderly and sick believers to refrain from attending Friday prayers.

On Friday, March 27, there were significantly fewer believers in mosques, residents of Grozny have reported.

Ismail, a Grozny resident, has associated the decrease in the number of worshipers with the Mufti's call.

The Imam said, prior to start the prayer, that because of the infection threat, one should refrain from shaking hands, said Abu, a local resident.

Khozh-Akhmed-Hadji Kadyrov, a Ramzan Kadyrov's uncle, who is the chairman of the Council of Alims of the republics of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), has also urged elderly people to temporarily refrain from attending Friday prayers in mosques, so as not to be at risk of infection, the "Grozny" TV Channel has reported on its Instagram.