Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced tentative measures to restore Friday prayers, starting August 28, in major mosques after a long hiatus of suspending the weekly religious gatherings, in a bid to curb COVID-19 infections in the country. The news, which was announced in a press conference on Wednesday as per local news outlets, also revealed that the Friday sermons, would have a time limit of ten minutes. The congregational prayers would still need to respect preventative measures such as the wearing of face-masks and social distancing. Friday (jum’a) prayers are also known as congregational prayers held every Friday at noon for Muslim adherents. They are traditionally preceded by a sermon (khutba) given by an imam, and are believed to be mandatory for Muslim males but optional for women. In Egypt, the practice of attending Friday prayer is extremely common and sermons are known to be notoriously long. In March, Egypt’s Ministry Endowment (Awqaf) issued a moratorium on group prayers and Friday prayers at mosques across the country in response to the public health threats posed by the rapid spread of the coronavirus. However, at the end of June, mosques and…
