Marking an abrupt change to a tradition long revered by thousands of Egyptians during the month of Ramadan, the Ministry of Endowments has banned charity iftar tables in order to curb the infection of COVID-19 in the country. In a statement released on Saturday, the Ministry stressed that charitable associations and all philanthropists are advised to present cash and food donations to the needy instead. These measures are meant at preventing gatherings and opportunities for the outbreak, especially in the time of the holy month of Ramadan which is set to start April 23. Most commonly referred to as ‘mawaad el rahman’, the charitable iftar practice consists of providing free meals to individuals at the time of breaking the fast. It is usually offered to low-income individuals who cannot afford food, homeless individuals or passerby who need a meal at the time. The tradition is a popular one in Egypt, with families, associations, restaurants and mosques as well as churches holding their own ‘mawad el rahman’. Moreover, a popular religious practice at night is for Muslims to pray ‘taraweeh’ prayers at mosque during Ramadan. However, with the current ban on…
