On Friday 20th March hundreds of mosques suspended congregational activities as the death toll in London jumped to 177 with a record increase of 40 new deaths on a day-to-day basis.
Ahead of Friday congregational prayers, over 375 mosques, community centres and prayer facilities in the UK confirmed the suspension of congregational prayers especially when Iranians ignored official Government warnings and congregated in Iran to celebrate their new year.
Some of the mosques following this lockdown in the UK include East London Mosque, which holds 7,000 worshippers, London Central Mosque which sees over 5,000 people, and Birmingham Central Mosque which regularly hosts over 2,500 people on Fridays.
Earlier on Monday 16th March the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) had called for a similar suspension in conjunction with expert medical advice provided by the British Islamic Medical Association and theological justification provided by a number of Muslim scholars, consulted through the British Board of Scholars and Imams. Harun Khan, Secretary General of the MCB said,
“Safeguarding all of our communities is paramount, and it’s reassuring so many mosques and prayer facilities have heeded this advice in trying their best to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.
“Crowds at mosques draw the elderly, vulnerable and those who are high risk. With the increasing rate of transmission and the number of deaths, for the safety of our families, our communities and society, we cannot afford to take any risks.
“We all have an Islamic and public duty to protect one another from harm, and I hope the remaining mosques, Islamic centres and prayer facilities across the UK take this extraordinary step in these unprecedented times and suspend all congregational activities.”
