Egypt to start radio broadcasting Taraweeh prayers on Sunday

Egypt’s Religious Endowments ministry will start on Sunday radio broadcasting evening prayers and communal Taraweeh prayers from Cairo’s famous Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-‘As, according to Ahram Online.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said the prayers will only be attended by the mosque’s imam and two mosque workers, and will be broadcasted on Al-Quran Al-Kareem radio station.

Egypt has banned communal prayers in mosques and churches over the coronavirus outbreak, and the prayers at Amr Ibn Al-‘As Mosque will not be broadcast through an external loudspeaker to avoid any gatherings outside the mosque.

Amr Ibn Al-‘As Mosque was the first mosque built in Egypt and all of Africa.

Egypt is seeing an unprecedented Ramadan this year as restrictions to contain the pandemic, including an extended overnight curfew in place since March, continue to take a toll on the cherished rituals of Islam’s holiest month.

The government has banned all public religious gatherings during Ramadan, including public iftars – fast-breaking meals – and the communal Taraweeh prayers.

The ban also includes the itikaf ritual in which believers seclude themselves in mosques for an extended period.