RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti said it was permitted to repeat Eid prayers and sermons three times to accommodate three separate congregations in Muslim minority countries due to coronavirus restrictions and to prevent the spread of the virus.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al-Asheikh, also the head of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas, said the decision was also based on the lack of mosques and chapels outside major cities.
In response to a question on the permissibility of Muslim minority countries performing the Eid prayer and sermon three times due to the large number of worshipers in light of precautionary measures and the lack of mosques, Sheikh Abdulaziz said: “It is not permitted to repeat the Eid prayer in one prayer hall for one congregation after another without necessity or urgency,” but added that we are in unprecedented times.
The Grand Mufti said some scholars permitted it when necessary and according to our current situation with the coronavirus pandemic and the precautionary measures, the preservation of public health is one of the main objectives of Sharia law.
Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti: Permitted to hold Eid prayers, sermons 3 times in Muslim minority countries due to COVID
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Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti: Permitted to hold Eid prayers, sermons 3 times in Muslim minority countries due to COVID
- He said it was permitted due to coronavirus restrictions and lack of mosques
Ukraine contacted Musk’s SpaceX over Russian drones using Starlink
- The Russian army used Starlink satellites to guide its drone attacks deep into Ukraine
- ISW said “Russian forces are increasingly using Starlink satellite systems”
KYIV: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Thursday Kyiv was in contact with Elon Musk’s SpaceX over allegations that Russian drones were using Internet from Starlink satellites during attacks on Ukrainian cities.
“Within hours of Russian drones with Starlink connectivity appearing over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defense team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed ways to resolve the problem,” Fedorov said on social media.
“I’m grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and personally to Elon Musk for their swift response.”
Fedorov and the US-based Institute for the Study of War said earlier this week that the Russian army used Starlink satellites to guide its drone attacks deep into Ukraine.
Russia has been battering the country’s energy grid as temperatures tumble below freezing and the invasion’s fourth anniversary looms.
The ISW said that “Russian forces are increasingly using Starlink satellite systems to extend the range of BM-35 strike drones to conduct mid-range strikes against the Ukrainian rear.”
Starlink is also widely used by the Ukrainian army for communications.
“Elon Musk’s decision to urgently activate Starlink and send the first batch of terminals to Ukraine at the start of the full-scale invasion was critically important for our country’s resilience,” Fedorov said.
“Western technologies must continue to support the democratic world and protect civilians, not be used for terror and the destruction of peaceful cities.”
