JOHOR BARU: The Johor government will allow an increased number of Muslims into mosques and surau for Friday and congressional prayers from June 26.
State Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Tosrin Jarvanthi said a decree on the matter was issued by Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
“However, only a third of the mosques' and surau's maximum capacity should be filled by the congregation during the prayers, excluding committee members.
“Those who attend the prayers should be 15 years old and above, wear face masks, be free from any symptoms, perform ablutions at home and bring their own prayer mats,” he said in a press conference here on Monday (June 22).
He also said that the surau and mosque committee members would be in charge of selecting the congregation for every Friday prayer session.
Tosrin added that the same ruling also applies for Aidiladha prayers in mosques while surau committees would need to apply for permission from the district kadi (religious official) offices to perform the prayers.
“The process of slaughtering sacrificial animals will be limited to only 20 people at one time and we also urge that the numbers of animals sacrificed to be reduced this year, in line with the recovery movement control order (MCO).
“We also recommend that the slaughtering process be conducted at 31 licensed slaughterhouses across the state that are approved by the Johor Veterinary Services Department (JPV) and the respective district kadi offices,” he added.
He stressed that mosques and surau that do not have a proper slaughtering area or wish to perform the process elsewhere must first get a permit from JPV and the kadi office two weeks before Aidiladha, which is expected to fall on July 31.
He added that the ruling on the matter was effective for a certain period of time until further instructions from the National Security Council and the Health Ministry.
Tosrin also said other activities within the premises of the mosques and surau such as religious talks, classes and Quran recitals would also be allowed but must be limited to 30 minutes.
Earlier this month, the state government only allowed 40 people to attend Friday and congressional prayers at mosques and surau during the recovery MCO.
