Bangsamoro region gears up for Ramadan without mass gatherings as COVID-19 precaution

KORONADAL CITY–Islamic religious leaders in Mindanao are gearing up for the moon sighting that will determine the start of this year’s Ramadan or the holy month of fasting.

Abuhuraira Udasan, grand mufti (Islamic legal expert) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), confirmed on Monday (April 20) the ulama (religious experts) of the Regional Darul Ifta (Islamic advisory council) agreed to hold the moon sighting on Wednesday, April 22.

If the moon is sighted on that day, the first day of Ramadan would be on Thursday, April 23, he said.

If not, Friday, April 24, will be the start of the holy month of fasting for Muslim Filipinos, he added.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar during which Muslims across the world fast from dawn to dusk, pray and give alms in observance of Islam’s holiest month.

Udasan said the Regional Darul Ifta also issued a fatwa or religious guideline suspending the holding of congregational Taraweeh prayers in mosques during the Ramadan due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“This is in compliance with the Islamic preventive measure such as social distancing,” he said.

Udasan noted that COVID-19 remains a threat globally, hence, the need to cancel mass gatherings as a precaution against the highly contagious and deadly virus.

During the nightly Taraweeh prayers, devotees stand up shoulder-to-shoulder, which would violate social distancing.

He urged Muslim Filipinos to perform the Taraweeh prayers at home while the government continues to grapple against the COVID-19 contagion.

The Muslim-dominated BARMM, home to about four million people, straddles the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.

As of Sunday, the BARMM Health Ministry reported nine confirmed COVID-19 cases, four of whom had recovered, and 235 suspected COVID-19 cases across the region.