Misguided and dangerous

This refers to the editorial ‘Praying in safety’ (April 20). We have heard some maulvis claim that in this hour of coronavirus calamity, we need to pray in the mosques in much greater numbers than usual, in order to seek the forgiveness of God. So, as hinted by you, while the maulanas' delegation agreed to a 20-point plan with thepPresident of Pakistan, there is little likelihood of this being followed fully. Also, considering the disorderly manner in which people exit the mosques after prayers, there is just no possibility of meeting distancing requirements. Also, the fact that the Covid-19 virus can stay in the air for up to three hours would pose added risk during Isha prayers.

It is no good telling the misguided among the maulvis that in most Muslim countries, and even Saudi Arabia, congregational prayers have been temporarily suspended to save human lives which are considered most sacrosanct. Unfortunately, our civilian governments have been displaying timidity in standing up to such views. While the previous 20-point National Action Plan was pursued by the armed forces despite massive sacrifices, the civilian governments failed to implement their part of the plan, with the result that characters like Maulana Aziz defy the government at will, while endangering human lives.

S R H Hashmi

Karachi