Mecca

The coronavirus pandemic has forced drastic changes across the world - many people face unemployment, travel plans have been cancelled and public places are empty as some work from home, practise social distancing and self isolate. As most countries enforced restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the novel…

Miski Osman is a junior doctor from London. Because of the coronavirus lockdown this will be the first Ramadan she has ever spent alone. Normally the 27-year-old would spend it surrounded by extended family and friends but as she cannot take the risk of bringing Covid-19 home from work, she has…

Saudi Arabia has urged Muslims to delay their plans for the hajj, amid speculation that the obligatory pilgrimage may be canceled this year due to the coronavirus. Earlier this year, Saudi authorities halted travel to holy sites as part of the umrah, the “lesser pilgrimage” that takes place throughout the…

ISLAMABAD - The coronavirus outbreak threatens to upend faith-based traditions that have gone on for more than 1,400 years. The world’s nearly 2 billion Muslims will not be able to hold communal feasts and prayers that are a hallmark of Ramadan, their holiest month, starting this week.  The pandemic has forced…

Jesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ how to defecate religiously Today’s Jesus and Mo strip, called “foot“, came with some handy advice: For anyone interested in learning how to go to the bathroom correctly, here are the complete instructions. As it says on the cartoon page, be sure to enter the bathroom with…

Parish priest of the Santa Maria Assunta church in Pontoglio, Italy starts a Via Crucis procession as part of Good Friday. PHOTO: AFP During these strange times, many have turned to religion to ask for an end to the spread of the coronavirus. However in most cases, it is reminiscent…

About AFP AFP is a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives. Drawing from an unparalleled news gathering network across 151 countries, AFP also is a world leader in digital verification. With 2,400…

About AFP AFP is a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives. Drawing from an unparalleled news gathering network across 151 countries, AFP also is a world leader in digital verification. With 2,400…

AFP 20th Apr 2020 08:31:18 GMT +0300 Ramadan is considered an auspicious period to travel to Mecca to perform the year-round umrah pilgrimage, which Saudi authorities suspended last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the usually packed area around the sacred Kaaba empty. From cancelled iftar feasts to suspended…

Riyadh (AFP) - From cancelled iftar feasts to suspended mosque prayers, Muslims across the Middle East are bracing for a bleak month of Ramadan fasting as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.Ramadan is a period for both self-reflection and socialising. Believers fast from dawn to dusk and then gather…