Restricting religious gatherings again

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This article was published 19/04/2021 (1993 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As restrictions tighten on religious gatherings only a week into Ramadan, Winnipeg’s Muslim leaders have scaled down community prayers and cancelled plans to celebrate the end of their holy month in a public park.

“The Friday prayers are going to be restricted for people,” said Idris Knapp, executive director of Winnipeg Central Mosque.

“We were (already) at the maximum for the last few weeks.”

Effective 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, religious gatherings in Manitoba are limited to 25 per cent of capacity or 50 people, whichever is less, down from the previous cap of 100. Attendees must be socially distanced, wear masks, and follow other public health protocols.

Capacity for funerals and weddings decreased to 10 from 25, plus an officiant and a photographer.

Ramadan began April 13 and runs until the evening of May 12.

The Grand Mosque on Waverley Street quickly revamped its registration system for attending daily prayers and the special Ramadan evening prayers after Monday’s announcement, said Urooj Danish of the Manitoba Islamic Association.

Instead of obtaining tickets online, Muslims who want to go to the mosque to pray must register at the association website, which will choose 50 people randomly to attend for each prayer slot and send them tickets electronically. If people cannot attend, they can decline the space and others will be selected.

Muslims who attend prayers must wear masks, take their own prayer mats and undertake ritual washing at home instead of the mosque, said Danish.

“I have a firm belief that all the restrictions are for the betterment of our community,” she said.

Friday prayers at the city’s biggest mosque will run twice to allow more people to attend, with time for cleaning between prayers, said Danish. She said plans to have a small public outdoor event for Eid al-Fitr have been cancelled because outdoor gatherings are now limited to only 10 people.

Despite the new restrictions, Manitoba Muslims are happy they have an opportunity to attend prayers during Ramadan, compared with 2020 when mosques were closed.

“Even if we’re distanced, we can still see each other and have a sense of community,” said Knapp of the value of attending community prayers.

Many churches, synagogues and temples did not open in February when restrictions eased to allow 100 people, depending instead on livestream or recorded services.

The city’s Anglican cathedral r-opened for the first time in 13 months on Easter Sunday but closed its doors to in-person attendance after one Sunday in favour of virtual services, said Rev. Paul Johnson of St. John’s Anglican Cathedral.

“I decided the numbers (of cases) were going the wrong way and that even if the government didn’t shut us down, we needed to do that ourselves for the best possible safety,” Johnson wrote in a text message.

Under the new restrictions, Roman Catholics will rely heavily on virtual services again and fewer will participate in mass and take communion, said Daniel Bahuaud of the Archdiocese of St. Boniface.

“It just means it’s a fasting from regular religious practice for most Catholics,” he said.

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