Ramadan prayers banned at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque due to virus


JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound will be closed to Muslim worshippers throughout the holy fasting month of Ramadan due to the coronavirus epidemic, Muslim clerics at Islam's third-holiest site said on Thursday.

Ramadan typically draws tens of thousands of Muslims daily to the mosque and the adjoining Dome of the Rock for evening prayers known as Taraweeh. Muslim faithful believe the site to be where the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.

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