Gov’t to Allow Implementation of Eid Al-Adha Prayer with Conditions

Coordination Meeting on Eid al-Adha preparations via video conference, Thursday (9/7) (Photo by: Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture PR).

The Indonesian Government has decided to allow the implementation of Eid al-Adha Prayers and the slaughtering of sacrificial animals on condition that they meet the provisions as regulated in the Circular of Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy stated that the COVID-19 zoning status will determine if an area can hold the Eid al-Adha Prayer. “In accordance with input from Minister of Religious Affairs, the basis for establishing zones is detailed information from the Task Force at the smallest level of each zone. There are areas that are declared red, whereas in those areas there are villages that are green. vice versa. Later the Regional Task Force will determine them,” he said after a Coordination Meeting on Eid al-Adha preparations via video conference, Thursday (9/7).

In addition, the intensity of the possibility of the COVID-19 spread due to the impact of homecoming residents will also be considered. This is to avoid the implementation of Eid al-Adha in the new normal transition period to cause a new COVID-19 cluster.

“We should study the implementation of Eid al-Fitr. For this Eid al-Adha, we must strictly control so that it runs well without causing new clusters,” Muhadjir said.

Meanwhile, the Government has also temporarily decided to not hold the Eid-al Adha Prayer at the Indonesia’s iconic Istiqlal Mosque. This,  Istiqlal Mosque Grand  Imam Nasaruddin Umar said, is due to the extensive renovation on the Mosque which although it has reached 98% completion, the main entrance and some other parts cannot be used yet to accommodate a large number of worshipers during the Eid Prayer.

According to him, to hold the prayer in the mosque, the worshipers have to queue for body temperature testing 3-4 hours in advance. “So we must consider public health and safety. Another aspect concerns the environment which is not yet possible to accommodate worshipers in large numbers. Therefore, the community is expected to be able to carry out Eid al-Adha Prayers in other mosques while still paying close attention to health protocols,” he concluded. (Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture PR /EN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Yuyu Mulyani