Ramadan Begins For World's Muslims Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- By RFE/RL
Hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world began the holy month of Ramadan under lockdown and other restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Some countries are urging their citizens not to fast so that they can stay healthy amid the pandemic.
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Amid a national lockdown, a cannon overlooking Sarajevo's Old Town is fired on April 23 at sunset to mark the beginning of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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A man reads the Koran as imams attend the Ramadan prayer in a mosque without worshippers in Zenica, central Bosnia, on April 23.
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An imam and a worshipper pray alone in a mosque in Podgorica, Montenegro, on April 23. The first night of the holy month of Ramadan came amid a government-imposed nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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A couple with protective masks walk in front of the Murat Pasha mosque in Skopje on April 23. The Islamic Religious Community of North Macedonia has decided to close all mosques during Ramadan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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Madrid's main mosque was empty on the eve of Ramadan on April 23 amid Spain's coronavirus lockdown.
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Volunteers disinfect a mosque ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 24.
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Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, a member of Pakistan's Ramadan moon-sighting committee, looks through a telescope for the new moon that signals the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Karachi on April 23.
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Stickers of foot silhouettes are laid on the floor of a mosque in Karachi, Pakistan, to maintain physical distancing ahead the holy month of Ramadan on April 23.
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An Afghan street vendor sells dates ahead of Ramadan at a roadside stall in a Kabul market on April 23.
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Men prepare cookies at a small traditional factory in the Afghan capital, Kabul, ahead of Ramadan.
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A Palestinian plays with fireworks as he celebrates the start of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Nablus on April 23.
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Images of health workers were projected onto the roof of the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab mosque in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu on April 23. It was a tribute to those on the front lines of the pandemic who are caring for coronavirus patients.
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An empty departure terminal is seen in Bali, Indonesia, on April 24. Indonesia is suspending passenger flights and rail services as it restricts people in the world's most populous Muslim nation from traveling to their hometowns during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan because of the coronavirus outbreak.
