Islamabad, 25 April: “In more than 80% of the mosques of Punjab and Islamabad, imams have failed to implement the government-clergy agreement during the first Taraveeh congregations on Friday evening.”
This is the crux of Pattan Development Organisation’s observation exercise – a leading CSO of Pakistan.
The observation was conducted by using a standardized check list. This checklist consists of the following 4 of the 20 points of the agreement.
1. Taraveeh should not be conducted on roads and footpaths.
2. There should be a six-foot distance between worshipers on all four sides.
3. People should not do ablution in mosques.
4. People must wear face masks when coming to mosques.
In total, PATTAN trained and deployed 40 observers and each of them visited four to five mosques during the Taraveeh prayers on the 24th of April. In total they observed 194 mosques in 15 cities and towns. They also made photos of violations.
According to the data released by PATTAN today, at “96% of the observed mosques people were found praying on footpaths and roads adjacent to the mosques and nearly 89% worshipers didn’t wear face masks.” The data also shows that at “72% and 69% of the observed mosques, the worshipers did not keep six feet of distance and were found having ablution in the mosques respectively.”
In very few mosques, some distance was maintained but it was not six feet at all. The photos of Friday prayers clearly established massive violation of this very important mitigation measure. Sadly, in more than two-thirds of the observed mosques, children were also found alongside their elders in the mosques.
Most of our observers reported that local administration and police warned khateebs and imams about the instructions. But it appears that police did not bother to carry out the practice in remote areas and congested neighborhoods. It is also interesting to note that the compliance level was better in bigger/Jamia mosques than the smaller ones, perhaps due to fear of surveillance and reprimand. However, this does not mean that these mosques are less likely to spread the virus.
The violation of the agreement is highly likely to continue in coming days, unless government takes stern action against the violators. And because sufficient evidence is available and the agreement provides legitimacy, the government should make places of congregations safe for the public. It is worth highlighting that religious spirituality must not be allowed to cause humanity any harm.
Based on our observations, we also demand of the government and health authorities to disinfect mosques on a daily basis. It is highly likely that virus is carried by worshipers to their homes and communities. Therefore, they must also be disinfected at the time of their departure from mosques. Authorities must train NGOs and community-based bodies and assign this task to them.
There appears an interesting observation that where compliance was low, the enforcement was also poor. This is indeed a very dangerous situation. Authorities and clerks should know that one infected person can cause massive harm. Since 100% implementation of the agreement is not possible, the best option for Pakistan, in our view, is to ban the congregational prayers.
The observation was done in the following cities and towns: Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Kamalia, Jhang, Layyah, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, Shorkot, Kot Addu, Ali Pur.
(PRESS RELEASE)
This is the crux of Pattan Development Organisation’s observation exercise – a leading CSO of Pakistan.
The observation was conducted by using a standardized check list. This checklist consists of the following 4 of the 20 points of the agreement.
1. Taraveeh should not be conducted on roads and footpaths.
2. There should be a six-foot distance between worshipers on all four sides.
3. People should not do ablution in mosques.
4. People must wear face masks when coming to mosques.
In total, PATTAN trained and deployed 40 observers and each of them visited four to five mosques during the Taraveeh prayers on the 24th of April. In total they observed 194 mosques in 15 cities and towns. They also made photos of violations.
According to the data released by PATTAN today, at “96% of the observed mosques people were found praying on footpaths and roads adjacent to the mosques and nearly 89% worshipers didn’t wear face masks.” The data also shows that at “72% and 69% of the observed mosques, the worshipers did not keep six feet of distance and were found having ablution in the mosques respectively.”
In very few mosques, some distance was maintained but it was not six feet at all. The photos of Friday prayers clearly established massive violation of this very important mitigation measure. Sadly, in more than two-thirds of the observed mosques, children were also found alongside their elders in the mosques.
Most of our observers reported that local administration and police warned khateebs and imams about the instructions. But it appears that police did not bother to carry out the practice in remote areas and congested neighborhoods. It is also interesting to note that the compliance level was better in bigger/Jamia mosques than the smaller ones, perhaps due to fear of surveillance and reprimand. However, this does not mean that these mosques are less likely to spread the virus.
The violation of the agreement is highly likely to continue in coming days, unless government takes stern action against the violators. And because sufficient evidence is available and the agreement provides legitimacy, the government should make places of congregations safe for the public. It is worth highlighting that religious spirituality must not be allowed to cause humanity any harm.
Based on our observations, we also demand of the government and health authorities to disinfect mosques on a daily basis. It is highly likely that virus is carried by worshipers to their homes and communities. Therefore, they must also be disinfected at the time of their departure from mosques. Authorities must train NGOs and community-based bodies and assign this task to them.
There appears an interesting observation that where compliance was low, the enforcement was also poor. This is indeed a very dangerous situation. Authorities and clerks should know that one infected person can cause massive harm. Since 100% implementation of the agreement is not possible, the best option for Pakistan, in our view, is to ban the congregational prayers.
The observation was done in the following cities and towns: Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Kamalia, Jhang, Layyah, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, Shorkot, Kot Addu, Ali Pur.
Yes
No
Numbers
%
Numbers
%
1. Six-feet distance observed
55
28%
139
72%
2. Face masks being worn
22
11%
72
89%
3. Ablution is being done in mosques
134
70%
60
30%
4. Footpaths or roads
7
4%
187
93%
(PRESS RELEASE)