Mobile Mosque to answer prayer calls

TOKYO • For the thousands of Muslim athletes, officials and supporters arriving in Japan for the Olympic Games in summer, it may be a struggle for them to find an appropriate place to pray.

The answer might just be found roaming the streets of Tokyo on the back of a truck.

By the time the Games start in July, there will be prayer rooms at the athletes' village which is under construction. But some venues may not have a designated space.

According to an investigation by Waseda University, there were 105 mosques in Japan at the end of 2018. But with these spread across the country and many of them small and on the outskirts of Tokyo, it may be difficult for Muslims who need to pray five times a day.

There is also a dearth of prayer spaces in hotels and public areas across the Japanese capital.

This is where the Mobile Mosque, a fully equipped 48 sq m prayer room that opens up on the back of a parked truck, comes in.

The back of the modified truck can be widened in seconds and the vehicle also includes Arabic signage and outdoor water taps for pre-worship cleaning.

The Yasu Project, the organisation behind the enterprise, plan to pitch up outside venues during the July 24 to Aug 9 Games.

Its chief executive Yasuharu Inoue hopes athletes and supporters alike will use the truck.

"I want athletes to compete with their utmost motivation and for the audience to cheer on with their utmost motivation as well. That is why I made this," he said on Wednesday. "I hope it brings awareness that there are many different people in this world and to promote a non-discriminatory, peaceful Olympics and Paralympics."

Tokyo 2020 said on Wednesday that they were looking at various avenues to provide appropriate facilities for all religious groups.

In an e-mail to Reuters, the organisers said they are preparing "a list of religious or faiths centres that could be contacted or visited if requested by residents of the villages during the Games. Multi-faith prayer spaces for athletes and spectators are under consideration in venue operations planning".

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the Olympics would not be cancelled or postponed despite fears about the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands and cast a shadow over travel and tourism in Asia.

Responding to questions in Parliament, he added that he wanted to work closely with the Japan Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to press ahead with preparations for the Games.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG