KUALA LUMPUR: The Muzakarah (discussion) Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) recommends for all religious activities including Friday prayers to be suspended temporarily.
This was the outcome of a special meeting held by the committee involving religious experts nationwide.
The meeting which was held yesterday was done following a call from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who had asked for the council to discuss on ways to address the Covid-19 outbreak from an Islamic perspective.
The council which is under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) held the meeting together with Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) director-general Datuk Mohtar Mohd Abd Rahman.
The first state to echo the recommendation was Negeri Sembilan where its Mufti Datuk Mohd Yusof Ahmad said in a statement that the state would suspend all religious activities, at least for the next 10 days from Mar 17 to 26.
According to Yusof, the decision was made following the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, with concerns over a mass tabligh gathering earlier this month which saw the participation of some 14,500 Malaysians.
Some of them have tested positive for Covid-19.
“During this period, all mosques and surau are advised to clean up and disinfect for our safety and to avoid infection.
“The decision to either extend or end this 10-day period will depend on the views and advice of the Health Ministry,” he said in a statement today.
Yusof also explained that should there be a death involved, the process to handle remains should follow the decision of the 2015 Fatwa Council meeting which was held during the Ebola virus outbreak.