Friday prayers capacity at mosques to increase; elderly no longer need to refrain from visiting mosques, says Muis

SINGAPORE - The capacity for Friday prayers in some mosques here will be increased to 250, as the Islamic governing body looks to double the total spaces available weekly.

With 19 mosques set to increase their capacity for daily congregational prayers from 50 to 100 from Oct 7, in line with national guidelines, seniors who wish to visit the mosques can now also do so, in light of the improving Covid-19 situation here.

Previously, when mosques first reopened in June, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) had advised those aged 60 and above to refrain from visiting.

Speaking during a virtual media briefing on Wednesday (Sept 30) on the further resumption of mosque activities, Muis chief executive Esa Masood said that about 85,000 congregants have attended Friday prayers since they resumed in June this year after the circuit breaker.

He added: "Currently, Muis is able to offer 15,000 spaces each week for Friday prayers at our 64 mosques. We aim to ramp this up gradually to provide 30,000 spaces each week. And this will allow congregants to perform their Friday prayers more regularly."

Muslims here have to reserve their slots through an online booking system.

As part of efforts to double the number of spaces available, some mosques will be piloting the accommodation of 250 congregants, for each of the three Friday prayer sessions weekly.

The congregants will be split up across five separate zones, Muis said.

The pilot to test out a 250-strong capacity at certain religious institutions was announced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong last Saturday (Sept 26).

Mr Esa said Muis will provide more details about the mosques involved in the pilot after it receives more clarity and approval from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

The mosques will be selected based on whether there is high demand for prayer slots, and also whether the venue has enough space to divide congregants into five zones, he said, adding that it will likely be fewer than the 19 mosques that will be increasing their daily capacity to 100 from Oct 7.

Muis senior director of mosque and community development Helmy Isa also announced that, in line with the national guidelines for the Silver Generation, congregants aged 60 and above who are feeling well may return to the mosques for their religious activities.

However, he urged those who are feeling unwell, vulnerable individuals, and children aged below 12, to refrain from visiting the mosques and instead perform their prayers at home.

Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir noted that some challenges will remain, as the pandemic is not over.

"Even with the increase in the number of prayer spaces, we will not be able to perform our Friday prayers... on a weekly basis yet," he said, adding that those who are not able to secure a slot to pray can skip the prayers and tune in to the sermons online.

Mr Helmy also announced on Wednesday that aLIVE classes, an Islamic education programme, will gradually recommence with some mosques piloting face-to-face classes from mid-October, and even more classes targeted to resume next year.

Mosques will also organise Maulid, or Prophet's Birthday, celebrations at the end of October with events that combine on-site activities with virtual live streams, he added.